Vancouver Whitecaps sign Brazilian winger Lucas Venuto

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps have added Brazilian winger Lucas Venuto to their growing roster.

The club used targeted allocation money to acquire the 24-year-old from FK Austria Wien in the Austrian Bundesliga.

He also spent time with Red Bull Brasil, FC Liefering and SV Grodig, tallying 26 goals in 151 games.

Whitecaps head coach Marc Dos Santos says in a statement that Venuto is a “fast, dynamic winger who has a lot of energy in his game.”

The club has now added eight new players since Dos Santos took over in November, including Guinean international winger Alhassane Bangoura and Spanish midfielder Jon Erice.

The ‘Caps parted ways with 18 players — including their top three scorers — after finishing last season outside of the MLS playoffs with a 13-13-8 record.