Philly Leader

Less than two weeks after joining the Philadelphia Union, Bruno Damiani made an impressive debut by scoring his first goal for the team. The 22-year-old Uruguayan striker entered the game in the 68th minute during the team's home opener at Subaru Park. His entry followed a hat trick by Tai Baribo, with Damiani adding to the scoreline in the 93rd minute to secure a 4-1 victory against Cincinnati.

"It's what I was looking for. I’m very happy, and it's just the beginning," Damiani stated following his performance.

Reflecting on his debut, Damiani expressed satisfaction with both his own performance and that of his teammates. "First of all, I was very happy for our team and how we were playing at that moment. For Tai also, scoring three goals," he said.

Damiani described observing Cincinnati's defense closely before taking to the field. "I was just looking at the rival's center backs, looking at how they play so I could feel comfortable with the play and situations."

The goal came as he connected with a pass from Quinn Sullivan, placing it past Cincinnati’s goalkeeper Roman Celentano into the net. This marked an exciting start for Damiani in Major League Soccer.

Since moving from Montevideo, Uruguay—where he played for Nacional and Boston River—Damiani has been busy adjusting to life in Philadelphia. Despite initial challenges such as paperwork and finding accommodation, he has settled well into team training and club culture.

“I'm very thankful for all the teammates because they received me well," said Damiani about his new environment. He highlighted language camaraderie among Spanish-speaking teammates as particularly comforting.

"About the stadium, I really like it... today we got the result, and I also got my own results, so I'm very happy,” added Damiani after experiencing matchday at Subaru Park firsthand.