Real Salt Lake forward Luis Silva intercepted a pass from D.C. United’s Marcelo Sarvas. With his second touch he volleyed it into the upper far corner of the net and left goalkeeper Bill Hamid practically frozen on his line.
Silva’s lone goal of the match lifted RSL over D.C. United 1-0 at RFK Stadium Sunday. He netted his third goal of the season and his second in league play to help work on endearing himself to RSL fans.
“I am extremely happy for him and the biggest reason is that he does so much for us that I think he perhaps goes unseen,” RSL coach Mike Petke said. “His combination play allows other people to get to goal and it opens things up. For him to get the goal you could see how happy he was, and we were thrilled for him too.”
The forward, who also has experience as a midfielder, has taken on somewhat of a “false 9” role with Real Salt Lake.
Silva has started up top in eight of RSL’s past nine matches, and he likely would have started all nine if it weren’t for a one-game suspension handed down from the MLS Disciplinary Committee.
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Petke keeps coming back to Silva because of the way he combines with Joao Plata, Jefferson Savarino and Albert Rusnák as a cohesive attack.
Silva doesn’t play like a true striker, however, and will often drop back to create space for the other attacking players and play through to them.
His goal-scoring numbers are modest, but between the two shots that have found the back of the net in league play and others that have ricocheted off the frame in the past month, he’s shown improvement in that capacity.
Maybe all it took was breaking the seal. On July 22 against Sporting Kansas City, Silva logged his first RSL goal after 29 league appearances for the team over the course of two partial seasons.
“It’s a good feeling,” Silva said after the match. “I knew it was going to come eventually; I was just trying not to get frustrated because I had other chances in past games.”
His second goal wearing claret and cobalt came against his former club. D.C. United acquired Silva from Toronto FC midseason in 2013 and traded him to RSL in 2015 for Alvaro Saborio.
“A goal is a goal,” Silva said of scoring on United. “I’ll take a goal against any team. But, most important I think is the three points.”
He has an argument there. The win put RSL at 29 points, just three behind the San Jose Earthquakes in the last playoff spot. Although, it’s worth noting that RSL and the Portland Timbers have played more matches (25) than any other team in the West.
But how did Silva feel about the goal itself? His reaction said it all.
When his shot stretched the back of the net, Silva extended his arms out to each side like a pair of wings. He grinned and yelled as his teammates jumped on him.