After weeks and weeks of speculation and rumours, the Philadelphia Union finally announced the signing of Brazilian striker Matheus Davo from Brazilian side Corinthians. Davo has signed on an initial loan deal with a view to a permanent deal if the Union see fit. I decided to take a deep dive into Davo and see what he offers and why Jim Curtin wanted him on the Union.
Union’s New Striker Matheus Davo
Davo is highly spoken about in Brazil at just the young age of 21 years old, Corinthian fans had high expectations when he first came into the first squad picture but he just hasn’t had any luck go his way. With no luck at Corinthians, Davo has been the subject of a loan move prior to his move to Philadelphia, to Guarani in the Serie B of Brazilian football.
Davo performed well for Guarani and whilst his stats aren’t evidence of his good performances, given he only had 2 goals in 14 games, with 3 assists, fans were still impressed with what Davo offered the side in terms of his pace and skill on the ball.
What Davo Brings to Philly
That’s the main thing Davo will be bringing to the Union team, a hell of a lot of speed. Davo is lightning quick and can catch defenders off guard, he times his runs well and will get in behind defensive lines and cause them trouble if they don’t pick him up quickly. Corinthians think very highly of Davo, comparing him to current Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus, and although I don’t agree with that comparison, Davo does offer a lot of upside for the Union.
Davo definitely needs to work on his finishing and goal-scoring consistency, that’s the main area of his game that’s really letting him down. He’s not going to come into the Union and score a bunch of goals quickly, but he does have the right instincts for a striker. The few goals that Davo has scored are ones in the box, where he’s picked out his run correctly, got on the right side of the defender, and used that quick blitz of pace he has to leave the defender behind.
Ernst Tanner sees his upside as well:
We’re excited to welcome Matheus to the Philadelphia Union and add a versatile young attacker to our roster, we have looked for a technically advanced striker like Matheus who can play underneath his partner and link defense to attack. We look forward to getting him quickly integrated into our system.”
Union Sporting Director, Ernst Tanner
It’s clear Davo has the mental side of the game perfected, you can tell he just understands his role and what the best thing to do is in every situation. His runs are well times, he’ll identify the defender he wants to target quickly, and has the understanding of where to be when in the box. He just needs to combine that with a lethal finish and he’ll be a great striker in the future.
Will he fit with the Union?
I would imagine Davo would fit in as the second striker in the Union’s system, I don’t think he’ll be the main focus of attack just yet, he’ll be more of a helping hand to someone like Kacper. However, over time, I have a feeling Davo can develop into the main focal point of that Union attack, the consistent goal scorer that they’ve been crying out for.
We could see him as early as this evening as he’s on the roster for leg one CCL semifinal at Club America! Stay tuned for that opportunity!
The best part about this whole addition is the fact it’s a loan-to-buy deal. I think Davo was a little too risky to buy outright straight away, so the fact that the Union has him for the rest of the season, can see how he performs, how he fits the system, and whether they think he can develop into what they need and then have the choice of making the move permanent or not is brilliant business.
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