ORLANDO, Fla. (January 20, 2017) - Orlando City SC has signed creative midfielder Pierre Da Silva to a Major League Soccer (MLS) contract. Da Silva becomes the first player to climb from the Pro Academy to Orlando City B to the First Team. At just 18 years old, he is the youngest player on the team.
“I’m proud of everyone in the Club who has helped Pierre get to where he is today,” Orlando City SC Chief Executive Officer Alex Leitão said. “Pierre’s addition is a testament to the quality, competitiveness and benefits of playing with OCB and the clear path we have laid out for Academy players to reach the MLS level.”
Da Silva joins Tony Rocha and Mikey Ambrose as players who earned promotions to the First Team from OCB, the Club’s United Soccer League (USL) affiliate.
Da Silva spent the 2016 season with Orlando City B in the USL, where he made 18 starts among 23 appearances and was a force up the left wing. Da Silva led the team with five assists to go with two goals, including a late-game equalizer against New York Red Bulls II on June 19. His outstanding first year as a professional earned him the OCB Coaches’ Award at the annual Orlando City SC Awards Gala.
Prior to joining OCB, he featured for the Orlando City Pro Academy U-17/18 team in 2015 after playing in the U.S. Soccer U-17 Residency Program at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
“Pierre showed his skill and work ethic time and again last season with OCB, when he trained with the First Team and during his time with the national team,” Lions General Manager Niki Budalic said. “His work rate and creativity up the wing always gave us options up the pitch. I’m proud that and OCB has produced another MLS-caliber player and I’m excited to see him succeed with the First Team.”
The Port Chester, N.Y., native of Peruvian and Brazilian descent has scored four goals in 32 appearances for United States youth national teams. In November, Da Silva was called up to the U.S. U-19 national team training camp in Sunrise, Fla., and represented the United States at the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
OCB, which played its first season in the USL in 2016, earned a playoff spot with a thrilling must-win match in its regular season finale. The team provides the Club’s young players an opportunity to continue their professional development and offers a place for First Team players to gain valuable minutes as they recover from injuries.
The Club also operates the successful Orlando City Pro Academy to further expand its pool of young talent. The Pro Academy U-17/18 squad currently ranks among the top three teams in the country, while the U-15/16 team recently returned from a visit to Curitiba, Brazil, where they faced the Uruguay and India U-17 national teams and partner club Atletico Paranaense’s U-17s.
TRANSACTION: Orlando City SC Signs Pierre Da Silva
Name: Pierre Da Silva
Height: 5’9”
Weight: 145
Date of birth: July 28, 1998
Birthplace: Port Chester, NY
Citizenship: United States of America
