USL Feature
Monday, January 9, 2012
By NICHOLAS MURRAY
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – If being a student of the game at a high level is a key to success, Orange County Blue Star standout Luis Silva has all the makings of a player that will succeed when he makes the jump to Major League Soccer.
“I like to learn,” Silva said. “If I see something and I like it or think it’s smart I try to do it or improve it, so I’m a learner, I like to learn and I think that’s one of my advantages. I don’t think anyone’s better than anyone else, there’s always someone better than you, so I never take things like that. I always try to do my best to try and improve every single time.”
A native of Los Angeles, that attitude has been a constant since Silva began playing when he was five years old. No matter how well he played, there was always someone out there that was better, and that meant he needed to keep working.
“It was hard and motivating at the same time,” Silva said of his upbringing. “You know, you see all these players and you think you’re good, but then next thing you know you watch another game and there’s another player who’s better than you, more talented. There’s players all over the world, it’s not just even club teams, it could be a small league, Sunday league or anything, there’s just so many players out there which makes you want to work harder to put yourself in a better position.”
Silva has certainly accomplished that. A projected top 10 selection in the MLS SuperDraft on Wednesday, the playmaker has worked his way into a position to become part of a league he has grown up with. A fan of the Galaxy, Silva’s favorite player was Cobi Jones, and he was a regular at games from a young age.
“It was fun,” he said. “I remember going to the games when I was a little kid, I used to watch them. I remember my favorite parts were the shootout, when they had them back then, they don’t have them anymore, but it was a fun environment, I remember going with all my friends or a couple of friends and just enjoying it.”
Enjoyment is at the center of how Silva approaches the game, and with Orange County it was a fundamental area of emphasis with Coach Jon Spencer. Because of that, and the teammates he had while playing for the Blue Star like Chandler Hoffman, Fernando Monge and Brian Rowe, Silva’s summer was a positive one.
“It was a great experience, because it’s not just your team from college, it’s guys from all over that you play against, so it was something nice for me to play with players I had never played with and I think we had a great team,” Silva said. “I remember Coach Jon Spencer, that was the thing he told us the most, to go out there and have fun. For me, that’s one of the biggest things.”
Maintaining a relaxed attitude has certainly been a key this week. Put under the microscope by MLS coaches that might only have seen players on DVD before playing three games in five days, there is often pressure to live up to pre-combine hype, or to try and exceed expectations to raise your stock. Despite that, Silva believes the coaches knew what he was capable of before he arrived in Florida, and all he had to do was play the way he’s capable of to live up to the expectations.
“I don’t think you can evaluate a player over three games or a week or so, that’s kind of hard especially when there are players trying to do too much,” Silva said. “I’m a simple player, I try to do the simple things but also be effective, so there was no pressure on myself, I just tried to come here and have fun.”
That doesn’t mean there isn’t some nervousness as Silva waits for his future destination to be determined on Thursday. However, with a strong PDl experience with Orange County and a stellar college career with UC Santa Barbara, Silva believes he’s ready to make an immediate impact in MLS.
“I’m excited, I’m anxious, I want to know where I’m going. If it’s in the top 10, great, if not it doesn’t matter, I just want to go out to a team, try to win a place in the starting 11,” Silva said. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot and I think I’m ready. I’m ready to start a new team and earn myself a spot there.”