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HERRIMAN, Utah (Friday, January 5, 2024) – Real Salt Lake have signed DF Derrick “Tommy” Silva to a Homegrown contract through the 2027 season. The soon-to-be 22-year-old Tucson native (who prefers to go by Tommy) has been a highly-decorated collegiate player at UCLA and will look to compete for his spot along Pablo Mastroeni’s backline.
Silva is a Major League Soccer-high 37th Homegrown signing for Real Salt Lake, dating back to Donnie Toia’s 2011 commitment.
“I am so excited to join Real Salt Lake,” said Silva, who turns 22 on Feb. 21 of this year, just a couple weeks into RSL’s 20th preseason. “I moved to Utah to join the Academy when I was 15 years old and my dream since then has been to play with the first team. I truly am a fan of this Club and its values of hard work, unity, and belief. Every player has a different path and mine took me to UCLA, where I grew and developed so so much, and now I get to rejoin RSL with a new depth and breadth of knowledge and experiences. I’m grateful for everything RSL has already given me and I’m going to give my very best for this club.”
As a member of the Bruins, Silva featured in every match that UCLA played during the last four years, recording 23 assists through 69 appearances. The most recent 2023 season marked a banner year for the 21-year-old left back, as he not only led his side to the elite program’s first Pac-12 Championship since 2014, he was also selected to the United Soccer Coaches All-Far West Region Second Team and was named the 2023 Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
“I’ve had a chance to train under Pablo the past few summers,” continued Silva, en route to the MLS Rookie Symposium this weekend. “I have been very impressed with his leadership and character, and it’s clear that the toughness and determination from his playing days have been transmitted onto the field through the way his teams play. I’m excited for the chance to learn from him and the whole staff, and I expect to improve as a player because I share the passion that he has for soccer. I think RSL has a lot of success coming in 2024. The consistency of the team over the past few years is a tribute to the experience and talent that the club has as a whole right now, and I think the trajectory of the team is only going up.”
Prior to embarking on his college career, Silva was a featured part of the RSL Academy setup in both the Casa Grande, Ariz., and Herriman, Utah locations. Silva captained both the U17 and U19 sides during his time at the Academy, where he helped the Claret-and-Cobalt youth to back-to-back U.S. Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) playoff runs. Silva recorded 63 appearances across three years for RSL Academy and also spent time with RSL’s current MLS NEXT Pro affiliate Real Monarchs, when the club was competing in the USL Championship division.
“I’ve played in the Academy with six other current homegrown players,” noted Silva, referring to GK Gavin Beavers, DF Zack Farnsworth, Bode Hidalgo and Delentz Pierre, D/M Jaziel Orozco and FW Ilijah Paul. “I’m so proud of them and it’s been great to see how everyone’s career took a different path, and now we get to play together again at RSL. There are other players like Justen Glad and Andrew Brody who I’ve never played with, but who I looked up to as examples of what can happen if you make the most of your opportunity. One of the defining characteristics of RSL is the Club’s commitment to developing their young players and I hope I can give back by becoming a role model for the current Academy players, just like many other homegrown players were for me.”
Silva becomes the 13th current player with a “Homegrown” designation on the 2024 preseason RSL roster, joining the following players: Beavers, Brody, Glad, Pierre, Farnsworth, Hidalgo, DF Erik Holt, FW Axel Kei, MF Diego Luna, Orozco, DF Luis Rivera and MF Jude Wellings. A 14th player, RSL FW Ilijah Paul, attended the RSL Academy for a spell but is not considered HG, instead signing a Generation adidas contract with MLS prior to being drafted 7th overall in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft by RSL. Diego Luna is considered HG by MLS rules and regulations due to his time with the San Jose Earthquakes youth setup.
TRANSACTION: Real Salt Lake signs DF Derrick “Tommy” Silva from the University of California, Los Angeles as a Homegrown player on January 5, 2024.
Player Information
Name: Derrick “Tommy” Silva
Position: Defender
Height: 5’ 10”
Date of Birth: February 1, 2002
Age: 21
Birthplace: Tucson, Arizona
Hometown: Tucson, Arizona
Citizenship: United States
Last Club: University of California, Los Angeles
How Acquired: Signed on January 5, 2024 as a Homegrown Player
