Romario to Play in U.S. Minor League

Brazilian soccer star Romario signed a one-year contract to play for the United Soccer League's new franchise in Miami, the team announced Thursday.

Romario, a hero in Brazil who starred on that country's 1994 World Cup championship team, will play one season for Miami FC before returning to the Brazilian league in November.

The 12-team USL first division is considered the top minor league in the United States. Miami FC, which plays its first game on April 23 against the Montreal Impact, is owned by Traffic Sports, a Brazilian sports-marketing company.

"This is huge for Miami, for the team and for the league," said Enrique Sanz , vice president for TV and operations for Traffic Sports. "We want to bring the Latin American style, Brazilian style of soccer here. What better way to do that than to bring Romario?"

Nicknamed "Baixinho," Portuguese for "Shorty," Romario is the second-leading scorer in world soccer history with 959 career goals, behind only Pele . Although he is 40 years old, he still has played remarkably well recently. He scored a league-best 22 goals for Vasco da Gama of the Brazilian league in 2005.

He joins a Miami roster that already includes Zinho , his teammate on Brazil's 1994 World Cup team.

-- Sean P. Flynn