Philadelphia Union announced today that the club has signed Brazilian defender Fábio Alves, known as Fábinho.

Fábinho, 28, will join the team pending reception of his U.S. P-1 Visa, International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and will occupy an international roster spot. Per club and MLS policies, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Fábinho has had a successful career and we're excited to add someone of his caliber," Team Manager John Hackworth said. "We think he can provide good depth and quality to an area of our team where we were a little thin."

Fábinho has played professional soccer in Australia since 2011, spending last year with Sydney FC in the A-League, Australia's top division, where he made 18 appearances for the club. He spent the earlier part of his career with several teams in his native Brazil and was also a member of the Brazil U-20 National Team.