Revolution add Lithuanian forward Jankauskas
Revs' newly-inked forward won 2003-04 UEFA Champions League with Porto
"We are pleased to sign Edgaras," Revolution Vice President Michael Burns said. "He is a very experienced player at both the club and international level, and he is a proven scorer who can hold the ball up well. We expect he will be a good fit for our team and we're anxious to get him acclimated to MLS."
Jankauskas, 34, has more than 18 seasons of experience in the European professional leagues. After beginning his career with Žalgiris Vilnius in Lithuania in 1991, he moved to Russian clubs CSKA Moscow (1996) and Torpedo (1997). He then transferred to Belgium's FC Bruges, where he played two seasons and scored 16 goals in 52 appearances while helping the club win the Belgian League in 1997-98.
His transfer fee from Bruges to Spain's Real Sociedad in 2000 set the record for a Lithuanian player, and he scored 19 goals in 56 appearances before being loaned to Benfica in 2002. His eight-goal, 12 appearance stint with Benfica preceded his signing with FC Porto, where he was a member of the club that won the Portuguese league and cup double in 2002-03, and the 2003-04 UEFA Champions League. He made 64 appearances and scored 19 goals under manager Jose Mourinho at Porto.
He also has playing experience in France (OGC Nice, 2005) and Scotland (Hearts, 2005-07 on loan from FBK Kaunas). Most recently, he has played with AEK Larnaca (Cyprus), Belenenses (Portugal) and Skonto (Latvia).
Jankauskas has represented Lithuania 54 times, scoring 10 goals for his country. Six of his goals have come in FIFA World Cup Qualifying, three each in the 2002 and 2006 cycles. He is a five-time footballer of the year in Lithuania (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004).
The Revolution, which will travel to Los Angeles to face the Galaxy at The Home Depot Center this Saturday, July 4 at 11 p.m. on Fox Soccer Channel, is currently 4-4-4 overall and has advanced to the semifinals of SuperLiga 2009, the annual competition between top club teams from the U.S. and Mexico. New England is the defending champion of the event and will host a special semifinal doubleheader at Gillette Stadium on Wednesday, July 15. The Revs will face the rival Chicago Fire in the first game at 7 p.m., followed by the Tigres UANL (MEX)-Santos Laguna (MEX) semifinal at 9 p.m. For more information, visit revolutionsoccer.net.
Edgaras Jankauskas
Pronunciation: ed-GAR-uhs yahn-COWS-cuss
Position: Forward
Height: 6-4
Weight: 190
DOB: March 12, 1975
Place of Birth: Vilnius, Soviet Union
Hometown: Vilnius, Lithuania
Previous Club: Skonto FC (LVA)
Nationality: Lithuania
Status: Senior Roster/International
Jersey Number: 10
TRANSACTION: New England Revolution (MLS) - Signed F Edgaras Jankauskas.
