Orlando City Signs Brazilian Midfielder Luis Otavio as MLS U22 Initiative Player

Orlando City has acquired 18-year-old midfielder Luis Otavio from Sport Club Internacional of Série A in Brazil, signing him to an MLS U22 Initiative contract, the club announced today. Otavio joins the Lions on a deal through 2027-2028 with a club option for 2028-2029. The club did not disclose details of the transaction, with Tom Bogert of The Athletic reporting the fee to be $3.5 million.

“Luis is an exciting young talent that we’re proud to bring to Orlando,” Orlando City General Manager and Sporting Director Ricardo Moreira said in a club press release. “At just 18 years old, he’s already shown he can compete at a high level in Brazil’s top division, and we believe his defensive qualities and composure will translate well to MLS. Signing him as part of the (MLS) U22 Initiative gives us the opportunity to invest in his development while strengthening our midfield for the future. Luis is a player for the future of Orlando City.”

The right-footed native of Beberibe, Brazil came up through Internacional’s youth teams after signing from Juazeiro and made his debut with the first team in October of 2024 as a substitute in a win over Gremio. He has appeared in 24 Serie A matches over the last two seasons, with two additional appearances in the 2025 state league (Campeonato Gaucho) for Internacional. He has yet to score a goal or set one up, but as a defensive midfielder, that’s not his primary role.

What It Means for Orlando City

With Cesar Araujo leaving the Lions after the 2025 season, the club has a need to find a stopper. While Wilder Cartagena may fill that role if he can regain his fitness after recovering from his Achilles injury, Otavio is a highly regarded prospect who isn’t much younger than Araujo was when he arrived and almost immediately seized Sebas Mendez’s starting position. Despite Moreira’s quote above about the future, Otavio is expected to come in and compete for minutes in a vital area, shielding Orlando City’s back line and whoever the new goalkeeper will be now that Carlos Coronel has fled to Brazil and left Orlando in the lurch.

Otavio will occupy both an international slot and an MLS U22 Initiative slot, completing the club’s three spots in that roster-building mechanism. He joins Tiago and Nico Rodriguez as U22 Initiative players. It was reported that Orlando City would like to sign 21-year-old fullback Alex Freeman to an MLS U22 Initiative deal, but to do that, the Lions will have to transition Rodriguez out of a spot. Online reports are discussing Rodriguez being loaned out with a purchase option, so we’ll wait to see how this all resolves itself.