Orlando City

2018 Orlando City Season in Review: Pierre Da Silva

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5 years ago

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Orlando City fans have been waiting eagerly to see glimpses of young midfielder Pierre Da Silva, who was signed by the club to an MLS contract in January of 2017 after playing for the club’s development academy and for OCB in the USL. The talented youngster showed glimpses of what he could do in the USL and oftentimes was the best player on the pitch for either side under Anthony Pulis at OCB.

The youngster got just one minute of MLS action in 2017 — enough to give him the briefest taste and make him hungry for more. Orlando City fans expected much more than the 49 minutes across two appearances that they got to see of Da Silva in 2018. Unfortunately, after a promising preseason camp, that season was potentially derailed early when he was suspended three games for “offensive language” during a dust-up with Fafa Picault in a closed-door scrimmage on Feb. 14.

Let’s dive into his very brief season.

Statistical Breakdown

Da Silva saw the field just twice, both off the bench in 2018. He subbed on for 29 minutes on Aug. 24 in a 2-1 home loss to Atlanta United and for 20 minutes in a 4-0 loss at Chicago on Sept. 16. Hey, at least his 49 minutes this season were 48 more than last year. In his brief time on the pitch, the Port Chester, NY native attempted no shots, committed no fouls — though he did draw two — completing just 54.5% of his passes, with one chance created. Defensively, he made one tackle. He did not see a yellow or red card.

He did not appear in any of Orlando City’s three U.S. Open Cup matches.

Best Game

When picking between Da Silva’s two appearances, it’s not hard to choose his best game, but it actually comes by default. In what may have been his first touch on Sept. 16, his giveaway on a lazy back pass to Yoshimar Yotún led to a counter attack and a Chicago Fire goal. It was an unfortunate introduction to the game.

So, I’m going to have to choose his 29-minute stint against Atlanta United. He had 17 touches in those 29 minutes, winning an aerial duel, completing five of his 10 passes (one of two long balls), drawing a foul, and adding a tackle.

2018 Final Grade

The Mane Land gives Pierre an incomplete for 2018, as he didn’t play enough minutes to warrant a grade. It was debated whether or not to review his season, but in the end we decided to review every player on the roster who finished the season with the club and saw the field.

2019 Outlook

I’m assuming the youngster is brought back, and there’s still virtually nowhere to go but up. Da Silva is young but has a great left foot, good ball skills, and is a good set piece taker. In a season so fraught with poor play from the attacking midfield, especially after Justin Meram was sent back to Columbus, it seems almost negligent that Pierre didn’t get more of a look. But since I’m not able to watch full training sessions day in and day out, it’s difficult to know whether his play or mental approach warranted such an opportunity. There’s certainly potential in Da Silva. Whether James O’Connor believes he can unlock it, or if Da Silva is going to start over somewhere else to realize it, remains to be seen.

Previous Orlando City Season in Review Posts (Date Posted)

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