San Jose Earthquakes sign goalkeeper Daniel from Internacional | OneFootball

The San Jose Earthquakes have acquired goalkeeper Daniel from Brazilian Serie A club Internacional, using Targeted Allocation Money (TAM).

He joins through the 2024 Major League Soccer season with an option for 2025.

"Daniel comes to San Jose with an impressive pedigree from a top league and club in South America," Earthquakes general manager Chris Leitch said in a release. "He has made nearly 50 appearances in the top-flight Brazilian Serie A, as well as premier domestic and international tournaments.

"We believe his quality will add a different level of competition to the goalkeeper position."

Daniel managed 37 clean sheets in 83 matches for Internacional, conceding just 74 goals total. He is now set to compete against San Jose homegrown and current starting goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski, who’s been a staple for the Western Conference team since 2020.

The San Jose Earthquakes also boast highly-rated homegrown goalkeeper Emmanuel Ochoa, a dual-nationality player who’s featured for both Mexican and US youth national teams. He previously played for MLS Next Pro team Earthquakes II.

The team will be looking to solidify their defense after concluding the 2022 MLS campaign in last place of the Western Conference table with just 35 points in 34 games and a record of 8W-15L-11D. The Earthquakes forced a -17 goal difference, scoring 52 goals and conceding a whopping 69.

New head coach Luchi Gonzalez is now hoping the new reinforcements will propel San Jose to success in 2023.

The team kicks off the 2023 season on February 25 when visiting Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.