Luis Silva (footballer, born 1988)

Luis Saúl Silva López[a][1] (born 10 December 1988) is a Mexican former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or forward.

Luis Silva
Silva playing for D.C. United
Personal information
Full name Luis Saúl Silva López
Date of birth (1988-12-10) 10 December 1988 (age 35)
Place of birth Oaxaca, Mexico
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder, forward
Youth career
2004–2007 Salesian High School
Chivas USA
College career
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2011 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2011 Orange County Blue Star 10 (5)
2012–2013 Toronto FC 44 (5)
2013–2015 D.C. United 54 (15)
2015 Real Salt Lake 10 (0)
2016 Tigres UANL 0 (0)
2017–2018 Real Salt Lake 49 (12)
2019 Honka 13 (3)
2019 Seattle Sounders FC 5 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 October 2019

Playing career

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Youth and college

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Silva was born in Oaxaca, Mexico, and moved to Los Angeles at a young age.[2][3] Silva spent two years playing with local youth club Pateadores, helping them win the Premier Division in 2006, as well as spending two years with C.D. Chivas USA's U-19 team. Silva attended Bishop Mora Salesian High School in Los Angeles where he was a two-time All-CIF selection as a midfielder and forward.[4] He was named Offensive Player of the Year in the 2007 season when he helped the Mustangs win the CIF Southern Section Championship and scored a goal in the Mustangs' 6–1 romp over Pasadena Marshall as the team set a finals scoring record.[4] He went on to play collegiately with the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. He was named to the All-Big West First Team three times. In his senior year, Silva scored 17 goals and added 10 assists, garnering recognition as a MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist.

Club

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During his college years, Silva also played in the USL Premier Development League for Orange County Blue Star in 2011. He joined UCSB teammates Charley Pettys and Christian Ramirez on the squad and finished with 5 goals and 2 assists in 10 matches played.[5]

Luis Silva was selected 4th overall by Toronto FC in the first round of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft.[6] Silva made his debut for Toronto FC on March 7, 2012, scoring a goal against the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2011–12 CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals. Silva scored his first league goal against Vancouver Whitecaps FC on July 11, the game ended in a 3–2 home victory.[7] Three days after his first league goal, he scored the lone goal in an away victory over New England Revolution.[8]

On July 9, 2013, it was announced that Silva had been traded to fellow MLS side D.C. United in exchange for allocation money.[9] On his regular season debut on July 20, Silva scored from 30 yards (27 m) as his team lost 4–1 to the Chicago Fire.[10] Silva appeared in the 2013 U.S. Open Cup Final on October 1, 2013, in the 75th minute and helped D.C. win 1–0 against Real Salt Lake and secure United's third U.S. Open Cup Championship.[11] Silva scored a first half hat-trick against the Montreal Impact at Saputo Stadium on June 11, 2014, leading D.C. United to a 4–2 win.[12]

On July 16, 2015, it was announced that Silva had been traded to MLS team Real Salt Lake for Álvaro Saborío.[13] Silva ended his D.C. United career with totals of 15 goals and six assists in 54 appearances, including a career-best 11 goals in 2014. In 2016, he moved to Liga MX side Tigres UANL.

On March 6, 2019, Silva joined Veikkausliiga side Honka on a one-year deal with an option for an additional year.[14] He left the club in August to return to the United States, signing with Seattle Sounders FC in MLS.[15] Silva and Seattle went on to win the 2019 MLS Cup.[16][17] He was released by Seattle at the end of the 2019 season.[18]

Career statistics

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As of match played on 25 July 2019
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental League Cup Total Ref.
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Toronto FC 2012 MLS 30 5 2 0 7[b] 2 39 7 [19][20][21]
2013 MLS 14 0 2 0 16 0 [22][23]
Total 44 5 4 0 7 2 55 7
D.C. United 2013 MLS 13 3 2 0 15 3 [22][23]
2014 MLS 27 11 0 0 1[b] 0 0 0 28 11 [22][23][24]
2015 MLS 14 1 2 0 16 1 [22][23]
Total 54 15 4 0 1 0 0 0 59 15
Real Salt Lake 2015 MLS 10 0 0 0 1[b] 0 11 0 [19][25]
Tigres 2016–17 Liga MX 0 0 0 0 2[b] 0 0 0 2 0 [23][26]
Real Salt Lake 2017 MLS 30 7 0 0 30 7 [19]
2018 MLS 19 5 1 0 1 0 21 0 [19]
Total 49 12 1 0 1 0 51 12
FC Honka 2019 Veikkausliiga 13 3 0 0 13 3 [19]
Career total 170 35 9 0 11 2 1 0 191 35
  1. ^ In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Silva and the second or maternal family name is López.
  2. ^ a b c d Appearances in the CONCACAF Champions League.

Honours

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Toronto FC

D.C. United

Tigres UANL

Seattle Sounders FC

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "Jugadores – Luis Saúl Silva López". Tigres UANL (in Spanish). Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  2. ^ "Luis Silva".
  3. ^ Goff, Steven (April 20, 2015). "D.C. United's Luis Silva honors humble roots by giving back to others". Washington Post.
  4. ^ a b UC Santa Barbara Athletics Department (March 7, 2012). "Luis Silva UC Santa Barbara". UC Santa Barbara Gauchos Men's Soccer. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
  5. ^ "Orange County Blue Star 2011 Statistics". USLSoccer.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
  6. ^ Daniel Girard (January 12, 2012). "Toronto FC drafts for help at both ends of the pitch". Toronto Star. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
  7. ^ "Toronto FC beat Vancouver Whitecaps 3–2 in thriller at BMO Field". The Star. Toronto.
  8. ^ Kyle McCarthy (July 14, 2012). "Silva Strikes Again in Toronto Win". Toronto FC. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  9. ^ "Reds Trade Silva To D.C." Toronto Football Club. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  10. ^ Steven Goff (July 20, 2013). "Chicago Fire routs D.C. United, 4–1". Washington Post. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  11. ^ "D.C. United Earns Third Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Championship with 1-0 Victory Against Real Salt Lake". October 1, 2013. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  12. ^ "Luis Silva scores hat trick in first half as D.C. United dominate Impact". The Globe and Mail. June 11, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
  13. ^ "Real Salt Lake Trades Alvaro Saborio to D.C. United in Exchange for Luis Silva". July 16, 2015.
  14. ^ "Hyökkäys vahvistuu – Luis Silva Honkaan" (in Finnish). FC Honka. March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  15. ^ "Sounders FC adds Emanuel Cecchini and Luis Silva as summer transfer window closes" (Press release). Seattle Sounders FC. August 8, 2019. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
  16. ^ "Seattle Sounders are 2019 MLS Cup champions: Rave Green win second MLS title". mlssoccer.com. November 10, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  17. ^ "Former UCSB Midfielder Luis Silva Wins MLS Cup With Seattle Sounders FC". ucsbgauchos.com. November 10, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
  18. ^ "Sounders FC announces roster decisions to conclude 2019 season | Seattle Sounders FC".
  19. ^ a b c d e "Luis Silva » Club matches". World Football. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  20. ^ "Luis Silva » CONCACAF Champions League 2011/2012". World Football. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  21. ^ "Luis Silva » CONCACAF Champions League 2012/2013". World Football. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  22. ^ a b c d "Luis Silva". mlssoccer.com. Major League Soccer. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  23. ^ a b c d e "L. Silva". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  24. ^ "Luis Silva » CONCACAF Champions League 2014/2015". World Football. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  25. ^ "Luis Silva » CONCACAF Champions League 2015/2016". World Football. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  26. ^ "Luis Silva » CONCACAF Champions League 2016/2017". World Football. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  27. ^ "Seattle Sounders are 2019 MLS Cup champions: Rave Green win second MLS title". Major League Soccer. November 10, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019.
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