What RSL fans need to know about Luis Silva

Real Salt Lake has traded Alvaro Saborio to D.C. United, and in exchange, they've received Luis Silva — a talented and promising attacker whose 2015 season has been scuppered by injury.

Here to fill us in on Silva is Ben Bromley, a managing editor at D.C. United blog Black and Red United.

Ben Bromley

After teasing us in 2013 with a three game streak of consecutive goals after having been acquired midseason, Luis Silva set 2014 on fire. He was the leading scorer for United, and his partnership with Fabian Espindola bloomed into something special. Espindola would range all over the field, finding his spots to charge at players or to whip in crosses; Silva would be there lurking to get on the end of an Espindola ball. Though he has often been called a midfielder, he really took off in D.C. when he was moved from the top of a diamond midfield into a support striker role.

However, in 2015 Silva has been made of glass. At the end of the 2014 season, Silva injured his hamstring and was unable to make any more appearances that season. This season, he played in games and been removed due to injury three or four times, totaling less than 400 minutes so far. United thought they had figured out the root cause of his injuries, a vitamin deficiency, but he got another muscle injury soon after coming back from that.

If healthy, he is a quality attacker, but his quality falls the further he is moved from goal. Steve Goff is reporting that Silva is in the last year of his contract, and may leave MLS altogether for Mexico after this MLS season is done.