Real Salt Lake Acquire New York Red Bulls FW Elias Manoel and Four MLS Superdraft Picks in Exchange for $700,000 in General Allocation Money
23-Year-Old Brazilian Striker Scored 18 Goals, Added 10 Assists in 84 Games Across All Competitions Last Three Seasons with MLS Cup 2024 Finalist
HERRIMAN, Utah (Friday, December 20, 2024) – Real Salt Lake today acquired New York Red Bulls FW Elias Manoel, each of the Red Bulls’ three natural 2025 MLS SuperDraft picks and the Eastern Conference champions’ natural second round pick in the 2026 MLS SuperDraft in exchange for $550,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM) and $150,000 in 2026 via trade. The Red Bulls will also retain a partial sell-on percentage for the 23-year-old Brazilian striker, should he be transferred in the future from Real Salt Lake.
Adding a dynamic striker in Elias to our roster is promising. As we prepare for multiple competitions and a gauntlet of games in the early-season schedule, we believe Elias will hit the ground running in our setup. He knows the League, he works hard on both sides of the ball and we are excited to welcome him to Utah for the 2025 season.
-RSL Chief Soccer Officer Kurt Schmid noting that preseason starts in 21 days.
Manoel, 23, recently finished his second full season with New York, where he made 33 MLS appearances and recorded eight goals and four assists. The striker has made 67 MLS appearances for the Red Bulls, scoring 13 goals and adding 10 assists. During the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs in a 5-2 victory over Charlotte FC, Manoel became the first player in franchise history to record a hat trick in a postseason match, becoming the sixth player to accomplish the feat in MLS history.
Manoel now arrives on the Wasatch Front after parts of three seasons with New York, initially joining the Red Bulls via loan in the summer of 2022 from Grêmio (Brazil), for whom he scored nine goals in 40 games during his age 18/19 seasons in his native country. In January, 2023, Manoel was permanently transferred to the MLS Eastern Conference side,
A native of Campinas in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, Manoel was Gremio’s top goal scorer in the 2022 Campeonato Gaucho, where he scored five goals in 11 matches and led the club to the 2022 Campeonato Gaucho title. Joining the regional Gremio academy at the age of 16, Manoel spent his entire career with South American power prior to his MLS venture. Overall, Manoel made 40 appearances for the Porto Alegre-based club, where he scored nine goals.
Real Salt Lake convenes for its 21st preseason on January 11, 2025, the Club preparing for its fourth-ever CONCACAF Champions Cup foray, paired with Costa Rican side CS Herediano away on Feb. 19, with the return leg at America First Field in Sandy, Utah, on Wednesday, Feb. 26 (6:30p MT kickoff). RSL opens the 2025 MLS campaign away at San Jose Earthquakes on Sat., Feb. 22, with the Claret-and-Cobalt’s 2025 MLS home opener set for Sat., March 1 against long-time rival Seattle Sounders FC. Tickets and information for both competitions can be accessed at www.RSL.com/tickets.
# xx – Elias Manoel
Pronunciation: EL-ee-us man-OH-well
Position: Forward
Hometown: Itapevi, Brazil
College: n/a
Date of Birth: 30 November 2001 (23)
Nationality: Brazilian
How Acquired: Signed via trade from New York Red Bulls (Major League Soccer)
TRANSACTION: Real Salt Lake acquires FW Elias Manoel from the New York Red Bulls, as well as four MLS SuperDraft picks (natural NYRB picks in each of three rounds in the 2025 draft, plus the natural NY second-round pick in the 2026 draft) in exchange for $700,000 in General Allocation Money. New York receives a guaranteed $550,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM) and another $150,000 in 2026 GAM, along with a 10% future sell-on.
2025 RSL Full-Season Ticket Packages NOW ON SALE at ***www.RSL.com*** or by calling 844.Real.Tix.
