Rafael Santos

Rafael Lucas Cardoso dos Santos (born 5 February 1998) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Major League Soccer club St. Louis City SC.

Career

Mirassol

Santos developed in the academy of Mirassol, making his senior debut for the club on 2 July 2017 in the 2017 Campeonato Paulista, playing the full 90 minutes against Ferroviária in a 2–1 defeat. He scored his first goal on 27 August 2017, the opening goal in a 4–2 win over Penapolense in the same competition.

Cruzeiro

In 2018, he joined Cruzeiro, initially on loan. He made 27 appearances for the club's under-20 team including in the 2018 U-20 Copa Libertadores. On 14 August 2018, Santos made his first team debut for the club as a 76th-minute substitute for David in a 2–0 Série A defeat to Vasco da Gama. Having joined Cruzeiro permanently in 2019, Santos went on loan for spells with Chapecoense, Inter de Limeira and Ponte Preta in Série B and later with Coritiba in Série A. He made a combined 106 senior appearances while in Brazil in all competitions.

Orlando City On 5 January 2023, Santos joined Major League Soccer club Orlando City ahead of the 2023 season on a two-year contract with an additional two club option years. On 20 May, Santos scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win at Inter Miami with the help of an assist from Duncan McGuire.

On 9 March 2024, Santos assisted in the fastest goal in club history when he won the ball from Minnesota United and passed it to McGuire, who scored in under thirteen seconds, beating Tesho Akindele's previous record of 31 seconds. However, Orlando would go on to lose the game 3–2. On 19 April, Santos received a second yellow card in a match at CF Montréal after coming on as a half-time substitute for Kyle Smith after Smith had received a yellow card early in the match. Santos would later be fined by the MLS Disciplinary Committee for failing to leave the field in a timely manner after receiving the second yellow card.

Colorado Rapids On 15 August 2025, Santos was transferred to fellow MLS club Colorado Rapids in exchange for $125,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) and a sell-on percentage plus an additional $200,000 in GAM if performance metrics were met. On 23 August, Santos made his debut for his new team when he came on as an 80th-minute substitute for Sam Vines in a 3–0 defeat to LA Galaxy. On 27 September, Santos scored his first goal for the Rapids when he converted a free kick in a 1–1 draw with Minnesota United. On 26 November, the Rapids announced that they had declined Santos' contract option, but were attempting to sign him to a new contract.

St. Louis City SC A new contract with the Rapids ultimately did not materialize, and on 27 January 2026, Santos signed with MLS club St. Louis City SC through 30 June 2027 and with a team option for the 2027–28 and 2028–29 seasons. Santos made his debut in a season opening 1–1 draw against Charlotte FC on 21 February. On 13 May, Santos scored his first goal for St. Louis City SC, the team's second in a 2–1 win over Los Angeles FC, after entering in the 10th-minute as a substitute for Jaziel Orozco, who came off injured.

Career statistics

Honors Chapecoense Série B: 2020

Cruzeiro Série B: 2022