The Houston Dash have acquired Brazilian midfielder Rosana and defender Poliana pending receipt of their P-1 Visas and ITCs, the club announced today. Per team and league policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"I am extremely excited to sign two world class players in Rosana and Poliana,” Dash head coach Randy Waldrum said. “Both are tremendous signings for us, having recently won the International Women’s Club Championship along with their many successes with the Brazilian women's national team. I'm so excited and thankful to have them both; our Dash fans will immediately embrace them I'm sure.”
Rosana dos Santos Augusto, commonly known as Rosana, comes to the Dash from São José Esporte Clube in Brazil. The attacking midfielder has appeared in every Summer Olympics and FIFA Women’s World Cup since 2000 for Brazil, scoring three goals across 28 matches in those competitions. Brazil won the silver medal at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics and finished runners-up at the 2007 World Cup. The veteran has appeared in over 100 matches with 18 goals across all competitions for Brazil since 1999.
The 32-year-old began her career in Brazil with São Paulo, Corinthians and Internacional before making an overseas move to SV Neulengbach in the Austrian ÖFB-Frauenliga in 2004. Rosana won domestic league and cup titles in each of her seasons with Neulengbach, then signed with Sky Blue FC in the U.S. for the inaugural season of Women’s Professional Soccer in 2009. Rosana played one more year in the U.S., then joined French powerhouse Olypmique Lyon in 2011, helping them claim the UEFA Women’s Champion’s League in 2012. The São Paulo native then played for Norway’s Avaldsnes in 2013-14 before linking up with São José in November 2014, scoring the game-winning goal in the final of the 2014 International Women’s Club Championship.
“Rosana is a legend in Brazilian women's football and brings with her a wealth of international experience,” Waldrum said. “She's creative, extremely technical, and has great ability to open up defenses with her passing quality.”
Poliana Barbosa Medeiros, who goes by Poliana, also joins the Dash from São José. The 23-year-old defender appeared in over 50 matches for the São Paulo club over the past three years, scoring ten goals. During her time in Brazil, São José won the 2012 and 2013 Copa do Brasil, 2013 and 2014 Copa Libertadores and, most recently, the 2014 International Women’s Club Championship.
Poliana has also competed internationally for Brazil, earning 21 caps and scoring two goals at the senior level since making her debut in December 2012. The outside back made five appearances at the 2014 Copa América, which Brazil won to secure a spot at the 2015 FIFA World Cup. Poliana was previously a part of the Brazil youth setup, making an appearance at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2010.
“Poliana is a very attack minded outside back that, much like Rosana, is extremely technical and attacks with flair,” Waldrum said. “She is a handful for any team when attacking the flank areas.”
Both Poliana and Rosana are currently with the Brazil Women’s National Team at the International Tournament of Brasilia, and face the U.S. Women’s National Team on Sunday, Dec. 14 (2:45 p.m. CT).
In order to make room on the roster for both players, the Dash have also waived defender Osinachi Ohale.
Rosana
Full Name: Rosana dos Santos Augusto
Position: Midfielder
International: Brazil
Date of Birth: July 7, 1982
Birthplace: São Paulo, Brazil
Height: 5’8”
Previous Club: São José Esporte Clube (Brazil)
How acquired: via discovery signing on December 11, 2014
Poliana
Full name: Poliana Barbosa Medeiros
Position: Defender
International: Brazil
Date of Birth: February 6, 1991
Birthplace: Ituiutaba, Brazil
Height: 5’9”
Previous club: São José Esporte Clube (Brazil)
How acquired: via discovery signing on December 11, 2014
