The San Jose Earthquakes have hired Bruno Costa as their head of scouting, after an extensive career in Brazil's top flight and with the Brazilian Football Confederation.
Costa's finds for the Brazilian national youth program include such stars as Neymar Jr., Willian and Philippe Coutinho.
"Bruno is a fantastic addition to our organization, having worked in the competitive Serie A and with the most successful national team in international soccer," Earthquakes general manager Jesse Fioranelli said on Monday, in the club's statement announcing Costa's hiring. "Our goal was to hire an experienced scout that knows the US and the international talent markets.
"As we develop a comprehensive player scouting and development program across Quakes teams," Fioranelli added. "Bruno will focus on prospects in the Bay Area as much as he will cover the U.S. and select markets in Europe and Latin America. He brings a tremendous amount of experience in identifying talent to the Quakes, and we are fortunate to have him as part of our team."
During Costa's time with the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF), the country's youth teams won 14 trophies, including the 2003 FIFA World Youth Championship (U-20) and the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship. In addition to his time at the CBF, Costa has also spent time with Brazilian club powerhouse Fluminense.
Costa has also spent time playing and working in the US – in his youth, he attended the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida and played Division I soccer at Florida International University. Most recently, Costa was the assistant general manager and head of scouting for NASL's Fort Lauderdale Strikers, where he worked from December 2015 until joining San Jose.
