In a move that should bolster one the league’s lowest-scoring offense, MLS has allocated Brazilian forward Paulinho McLaren to the Miami Fusion. Paulinho, 34, has made four appearances for Brazil and has played for a number of top Brazilian clubs, including Santos, Portuguesa, Cruzeiro and Fluminense, as well as with Porto of the Portuguese First Division, where he was a member of the 1992-93 team that won the league and up double. He most recently played for Brazilian club Atletico Mineiro of Belo Horizonte. “Paulinho is a proven goalscorer,” said Fusion GM Leandro Stillitano. “He’s a true professional who comes to us with an excellent background. We hope he will make the same impact in MLS as he had in his past successes.” Paulinho arrived in South Florida today, and could make his debut for the Fusion on June 13 against the MetroStars at Giants Stadium, where he could team with recent signing Roger Thomas in Miami’s revamped offense. To make room for the new foreign signing, Miami waived Peruvian forward Jerry Tamashiro, who was Miami’s top scorer with three goals in 12 games.
