TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
The San Jose Earthquakes have acquired defender Nathan from Swiss side FC Zurich, the club announced Friday. Nathan has signed a three-year contract (2021-23) with a club option for 2024 using Targeted Allocation Money.
Nathan, 26, joined Zurich in 2019 and made 63 appearances during his time in Switzerland. The center back broke through at Palmeiras in 2014 and played for a handful of clubs in Brazil prior to heading to Europe.
“Reinforcing our defense was a priority and we are excited to add Nathan to our roster as we approach a dense schedule with more than two-thirds of the regular season still to play,” GM Jesse Fioranelli said in a club statement. “We believe Nathan’s age and skillset complements the qualities we have in our back line. We really like his athleticism and aerial game as well as the experience he accumulated both in Brazil and Switzerland."
Nathan is a former Brazilian youth international, featuring for the U-17 and U-20 sides.
Among his stops in Brazil was Chapecoense. Nathan was part of the group of players loaned to the club to rebuild the squad following the team’s plane crash in November 2016 that killed 71 people associated with the club.
The center back gives Matias Almeyda's side much-needed defensive reinforcements, as the club have conceded a Western Conference-worst 17 goals, including a 5-0 loss to Orlando City on Tuesday.
San Jose are next in action on Saturday against rivals LA Galaxy (10 pm ET | UniMas, TUDN).
