Philadelphia Union announce record signing of Uruguayan striker, Bruno Damiani

The Philadelphia Union has today announced the signing of 22-year-old Bruno Damiani, a Uruguayan striker, through the 2028 season, with an option for 2029.

Philadelphia’s signing of the young forward from Uruguay’s Club Nacional de Football for a reported $3.4 million is a new record, surpassing the reported $2.8 million fee they paid Danish side Brøndby IF for Forward Mikael Uhre back in 2022.

“Bruno is the exact type of player that we have been looking to add to our striker unit…He is a tall, physical striker with a proven ability to dominate and be a danger in the final third. Along with his size and strength, he is a clinical finisher and is relentless on the attack. We look forward to getting him integrated quickly and seeing his impact on the pitch.” – Sporting Director, Ernst Tanner

Damiani kicked off his Senior career with Nacional in 2023, notching 2 goals and 3 assists across 21 games in his debut season with the club. Damiani made significant strides in 2024 while on loan at Boston River, scoring 13 goals—the second-highest in Primera División Clausura—and catching the attention of Philadelphia.

Damiani will be added to Union’s active roster once his paperwork and Visa are sorted, and will occupy an international roster slot, which Philly will need to acquire. Based on reports, it seems likely that Damiani will be designated as a Young Designated Player, reducing his overall salary cap hit.

Damiani will wear the #20 shirt for Union, following in the footsteps of Jesús Bueno, Michee Ngalina, Marcus Epps, Wálter Restrepo, Jimmy McLaughlin, Carlos Ruiz, and Róger Torres.

Damiani’s style and the Impact his arrival will have on the Union

Damiani, still just 22 years of age, brings a 6’2”, 176 lbs frame to Philadelphia’s forward group with a style of play that fits Philly and Ernst Tanner’s high-pressing, energetic, transition-based soccer. He’s a strong runner who makes demanding runs into the box and has the ability to track down open space and loose balls inside the penalty area to make himself available for scoring opportunities and he has shown the ability to finish off those opportunities as well. He looks tenacious and aggressive, which will work well in a high-press system, but he also looks to have the ability to dig the ball out of his feet in traffic and get shots on the net.

While they probably won’t like to hear this, Union fans should be patient with Damiani. It’ll likely take some time for the 22-year-old to get acclimated to his new surroundings and find chemistry with his new teammates. But I do think that once he gets going, Damini will be pushing either Baribo or Uhre (my guess is the latter) out of the starting XI.

The addition of Damiani to their attacking group now means Philadelphia has 7 forwards at their disposal, which is probably a few too many. I wouldn’t be shocked to see one or two of these guys move on, either temporarily or permanently.

Union’s Forward Group

Bruno Damiani – 22 years old – New Signing
Mikael Uhre – 30 years old – 32G, 16A in 90 MLS games for Union
Tai Baribo – 27 years old – 9G, 2A in 26 MLS games for Union
Chris Donovan – 24 years old – 2G, 2A in 42 MLS games for Union
Markus Anderson – 21 years old – 0G, 0A in 3 MLS games for Union
Nelson Pierre – 19 years old – loaned to Charlotte Independence in August 2024
Eddy Davis III – 18 years old – Recently signed MLS Homegrown contract