Atlanta United signed winger Xande Silva from French side Dijon on loan for the remainder of the 2023 season with an option to purchase on Aug. 2, 2023. Silva will occupy an international roster slot.
Joining the club on loan during the summer transfer window, Silva quickly featured in Gonzalo Pineda’s starting eleven and made his first MLS start in a 2-0 win at Seattle on Aug. 20. He scored his first MLS goal in his next appearance, a 4-0 win against Nashville, and went on to record two goals and three assists in 641 total minutes, starting eight of his 10 MLS appearances. The winger scored two more goals during the MLS Cup Playoffs, starting all three matches as Atlanta fell to Columbus in Round One.
Prior to joining Atlanta, the 26-year-old made 172 career professional appearances and recorded 25 goals and nine assists. Born in Porto, Portugal, Silva began his career at FC Alverca and later spent time in the youth systems at Belenenses, Sporting Club de Portugal and Vitória Guimarães. He made 50 appearances and scored four goals with Vitória Guimarães B before joining the club’s first team, making his debut in Portugal’s top flight on May 17, 2015 against Benfica. He would go on to score one goal in 31 appearances before transferring to West Ham United in August of 2018.
At West Ham, Silva made 13 appearances with the club’s U-21 side, recording 10 goals and two assists, and made his English Premier League debut on Dec. 30, 2018 against Burnley. Silva then went on loan to Aris Thessaloniki in Greece’s first division where he tallied four goals and three assists in 33 appearances across all competitions. In August of 2021, the winger transferred to Nottingham Forest and went on to record an assist in 10 appearances. In August of 2022, Silva made the move to Dijon in the French second division where he made 32 league appearances and tallied six goals and three assists.
On the international stage, Silva represented Portugal from the U-15 to U-20 level, totaling 65 appearances and 19 goals.
2023 (Atlanta United): MLS: Started eight of his 10 MLS appearances and recorded two goals and three assists in 641 minutes played. Scored his first MLS goal in 4-0 win against Nashville on Aug. 26. Scored in 4-1 win against Montreal on Sept. 23. MLS Cup Playoffs: Started all three matches of Atlanta’s Round One series against Columbus Crew and scored two goals.
