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With Toronto FC now eliminated from the CONCACAF Champions League and with the team winless to start the season in the MLS, Toronto FC fans currently don't have a whole lot to feel positive about. Add in injuries to Torsten Frings and Stefan Frei and many Reds supporters are likely feeling quite blue just as their team prepares to take on Les Bleus in the first ever MLS derby match between Toronto FC and the Montreal Impact.
However, outside of the fact that Toronto's run to the semifinals of the Champions League was an achievement that should be justly celebrated and appreciated, another beacon of hope has come in the early form of Reds rookie Luis Silva.
While many rookies often struggle to adjust from the college game to the North American top flight, Silva, who was selected 4th overall in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft, has stepped into the TFC lineup and immediately become one of Toronto's top performers. That is a credit to Silva himself and the TFC brass, who once again look to have drafted a young and dynamic offensive player who fits Aron Winter's system perfectly.
RedNation recently had the chances to catch up with Silva and ask the 23 year old attacking midfielder to explain why his move to the pro level has appeared to be so seamless.
"I had been telling myself in my last year of college that I was ready (to go professional). Being over here (at TFC) is definitely harder than college soccer, but I am just eager to play at this level. I'm just trying to keep it at one practice at a time and one game at a time. It's all about the confidence the other guys give me on and off the field. That helps a lot," said Silva.
According to the University of California, Santa Barbara product, the experience and mentorship of the veterans on Toronto's roster has been vital to his strong play to start his rookie season.
"Ryan Johnson and Danny Koevermans are always giving me good advice. They remind me to keep it simple and to just do my thing. Miguel Aceval is an experienced player too. There are a lot of experienced players here, so I'm really happy to be on this team."
While it has been a familiar story for Toronto defensively with the back line struggling to start the season, the Toronto offensive has looked dynamic and aesthetically pleasing both in the matches the Reds have scored in and those in which the team struggled to finish its chances. Silva already looks to have developed excellent chemistry and understanding with the other offensive players on the squad and he believes that has as much to do with compatible personalities off the pitch as it does with on field tactics.
"I think it is important that we get along off the pitch as well. That helps a lot. They are easy players to play with and to get along with. That makes everything way easier for me in my role as an attacking midfielder. So it is really just a matter of connecting and making them look good."
Invariably, any player that joins Toronto FC during the Aron Winter era is asked about the compatibility of their skillset with the Dutch 4-3-3 tactical approach. Silva was both quick to admit that it has been adjustment and express that he enjoys playing in the Dutchman's system.
"I like the system. I just had to adjust to it, because I was used to playing a different system. But I'll do anything to play on the field. I do think I am adjusting pretty well."
With the extensive travel in the MLS often causing rookie players and Major League Soccer newcomers alike to hit a wall at some point in their maiden campaigns, it still remains to be seen if Silva will be able to sustain his high energy and quality performances over TFC's full schedule. With Aron Winter vocal about managing the workloads of young players like Silva and Joao Plata, the 5 foot eleven midfielder looks to be in good hands in terms of managing his minutes and how he is deployed.
At this early point in this season, Silva himself is focused on maintaining his fitness and adjusting to a much heavier match and training schedule than he was used to during his years playing at the collegiate level.
"I think fitness-wise is a challenge. Obviously, you run more than in college and you are training and playing at a faster pace. In terms of the technical and movement on the field, I think I have been doing quite well. So far I think I have been adjusting and I just need to keep going."
Asked how he plans to continue the momentum he has maintained through Toronto's first eight matches in 2012, Silva maintains it is just a matter of being focused on his responsibilities as a professional and taking the professional advice of those in the Toronto FC organization.
"I'm just going to work with the coaches and trainers. They are helping me a lot. It is really a twenty four hour job that we have. I'm just trying to do everything as best as I can."
One of the main positives when looking at Silva is the fact that personality-wise he is both very confident in his abilities and quite humble at the same time. His confidence was certainly evident when he made his professional debut in front of nearly 50,000 fans in Toronto's key Champions League match against the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Rogers Centre back in March.
Silva scored a goal in that pressure filled match and was one of the best players in a game in which he looked to completely unfazed by the crowd, TFC's star studded opponent and the gravity of the fixture. According to Silva, his performance in that match and in all of his appearances thus far was built upon a combination of the confidence he has in his abilities and the support of his TFC teammates.
"You just have to be confident. We are all human beings. I'm trying to have fun. For that match at the Rogers Centre, some of the more experienced veteran players were telling me to do that, to just have fun. I think I listened to them and concentrated on the game and didn't think about the crowd at all."
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