Marcelo Silva’s listed size of 6-foot-2 and 181 pounds is not altogether imposing by center back standards. However, upon seeing just how Silva carries those numbers quickly presents a completely different conclusion. Like the gladiator tattooed on his right shoulder, toting a helmet and sword with a tiger at his feet, Silva is built for the battles he will face each week in MLS.
That was the feeling of Real Salt Lake General Manager Craig Waibel upon meeting Silva over the past few months in Spain. Now that he has arrived in Utah to join RSL after the club announced his contract on Monday, his teammates and coaches have the opportunity to garner their own first impressions of the new defender.
Also like the gladiator, Silva has a very practical approach to his craft even while knowing the value of being aggressive.
“I try to give it my all, not just in the game but I also try to work hard during the week in order to be at a 100% during the games,” Silva said. “I’m a very strong player in the air, defensively as well as attacking. I try to do my job as easy as possible because I play a position that at any time an error can cause you a goal. I try to do it as effectively as possible.”
For Silva, the move from Spain, where he had played since 2010 with the exception of a few months on loan in his native Uruguay, was influenced largely on the rapid growth of Major League Soccer and its ability to keep players in an upward trajectory.
Describing himself as “an intense player,” Silva brings several important qualities to Real Salt Lake’s back line. At 28 years old and a veteran of seven seasons in Spain in both the first and second divisions, he has helped teams earn promotion, captained teams to improved positions in the standings and shown that he can compete in La Liga. That veteran presence will help on a back line that features U.S. U-20 standouts Justen Glad and Danny Acosta.
“Though I’m not an old player, I have been playing for many years in Europe in very competitive leagues,” Silva said. “I have obtained a lot of experience from all of that. I was also 20 once. I know perfectly the desire that you have when you first start. Seeing players with experience helps you a lot as young player. I believe that’s what they saw in me to try to help the younger players through the experience that I had in Europe so that they, as well as I, can keep improving.”
Silva will spend the next few weeks adjusting to his new teammates and life in Utah. Although he will not be eligible to play until after the July 10 opening of the summer transfer window and receipt of his ITC and US visa, he looked a natural wearing his No. 30 jersey at Rio Tinto Stadium upon his arrival Sunday.
While he has yet to march to the field with the fans packing the stadium with songs echoing through the mountains, he is ready to show what he can do for Real Salt Lake.
“I have to try to give my best for those who have trusted in me to come to this club. In thanks to that, I can tell you that I will give it my all on the field to try to win and make the fans happy,” he said.
