Real Salt Lake completed the signing of Slovakia international Albert Rusnak as a young designated player on Friday.
The 22-year-old, a former Manchester City academy player, joins RSL after two years at Dutch club Groningen, where he scored 12 times in 76 games.
"We are extremely excited about what Albert can bring to our attack," Real Salt Lake general manager Craig Waibel said in a statement. "The arrival from Europe of a young player of his caliber is a big move for our club.
"He has a really solid pedigree from one of the world's most-respected academies, and what he's done as a young professional to help FC Groningen in the Dutch Eredivisie and for Slovakia on the international level are excellent indicators that he can contribute right away with RSL."
#Rusnak �� @RealSaltLake pic.twitter.com/ZLlsb4NKKB
- Brian Dunseth (@BrianDunseth) January 6, 2017
Rusnak, who earned his first cap with Slovakia in November, will arrive as a replacement for Javier Morales, who signed with FC Dallas after 10 years with RSL, which did not offer to renew his contract.
The midfielder had previously been linked to moves to Swansea City and Roma before signing with the MLS club.
"What we saw in Albert was a 22-year-old player with vast experience playing in a very demanding league in Holland and a young player who is breaking into his national team," Real Salt Lake coach Jeff Cassar said.
"He can get on the score sheet with assists or with goals. He is a dynamic player off the dribble and powerful on the dribble and he can hurt opponents with his passing.
"He turns up in a lot of different places on the field and another of his strengths is his timing with late runs into the box. We are eager to see how he fits in here in Utah."