New England Revolution sign Sambinha from Sporting Lisbon

The New England Revolution announced Friday the signing of defender Sambinha on loan from Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon until the end of the MLS campaign.

Sambinha, 23, is the first player to be loaned to New England from Sporting since the two clubs forged a strategic partnership in October 2014, according to a statement on the MLS side's website.

"Sambinha is a big, strong center back who impressed both myself and Jay during our recent trip to Lisbon," Revolution general manager Michael Burns said. "He will be able to help strengthen our defense and we are grateful to be able to work with Sporting in order to add a player of his quality to our roster for the upcoming season."

The five-time MLS Cup runner-up will start its preseason training Friday in advance of the 2016 season, looking to build on last year's Eastern Conference fifth-place finish and elimination in the playoff's knockout round.