The Halifax Wanderers have signed Brazilian attacking midfielder Vitor Dias to a contract through the 2025 CPL season.

Dias, 25, makes the move to Halifax after two seasons in MLS Next Pro with St. Louis City SC 2 (2022) and Sporting Kansas City SC II (2023). In 30 combined appearances, Dias scored seven goals and contributed three assists.

“Vitor is a very well-known player in the U.S. after his incredible college career at Marshall and offers us a technical, left-footer in the midfield,” Wanderers head coach Patrice Gheisar said. “He’s going to come in and quickly get acclimated to the league and our group and be a big help to our returning squad.”

From Brasilia, Brazil, Dias spent his development years at Sao Paulo FC, one of the most successful clubs in Brazilian football. Before moving to the United States, he briefly played at Rio de Janeiro-based Boavista S.C.

In 2019, he committed to Marshall University and immediately cemented himself as a top midfielder in college soccer. Dias led the team in scoring as the Thundering Herd captured the 2020 NCAA National Championship. On that national title run, Dias scored the winning penalty in the round of 16 and assisted on the winning goals in the quarter-final, semifinal, and championship match. That season, he also became the first player in program history to be named a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist, the first player in team history to be named a First Team All-American and the first in program history to be named Conference USA Male Athlete of the Year. In total, Dias tallied 14 goals and 15 assists for Marshall over three seasons.

“I haven’t been this excited for a season in a while; I can’t wait to get started with Halifax in a very competitive league,” Dias said. “I saw that this team fills the whole stadium, and I can’t wait to get playing in that atmosphere.

“I’m an attacking midfielder, and I bring a lot of creativity and confidence. I try and play my game no matter how difficult the opponent.”

After his storied career at Marshall, Dias was selected in the third round of the 2022 MLS Super Draft by the Vancouver Whitecaps. He would instead sign with St. Louis City SC 2 in MLS Next Pro, scoring six goals and adding three assists in 23 matches across all competitions in 2022, playing a key role as St. Louis advanced to the league final. In 2023, Dias played for Sporting Kansas City II, scoring once in 12 appearances.