Major League Soccer's primary transfer window closed Wednesday, and Atlanta United made one move at the deadline, acquiring up to $250,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) from St. Louis CITY SC in exchange for Xande Silva.
The winger has made two starts in seven appearances this year for the 5-Stripes. His one goal contribution came during the club's 4-3 win over New York City FC on March 29.
As part of the deal, Atlanta will retain Silva’s special discovery tag. St. Louis will retain Silva’s full 2025 salary budget charge.
Silva first arrived to Atlanta United on loan from French side Dijon in Ligue 2, but quickly made a case for a permanent transfer during the 2023 season. After joining late in the year, he recorded two goals and three assists in 641 regular season minutes played. He scored twice during Atlanta United's Round One series in the MLS Cup Playoffs against Columbus Crew. The following offseason, Atlanta United exercised its transfer option on Silva.
The winger again featured regularly for Atlanta United in 2024, starting 19 of his 30 appearances across all competitions. Silva finished with two goals in the MLS regular season, not quite reaching the same efficiency he did the season prior. His most memorable moment was the game-winner in Game 2 of the Best-of-3 Series against Inter Miami CF, a result that stunned the No. 1 seed and forced a decisive third match in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Originally from Portugal, the whole of Silva's professional career had been played in Europe prior to joining MLS. A few of his previous stints include West Ham and Nottingham Forest in England and Aris Thessaloniki in Greece.
Atlanta United makes this move as the club looks to turn the corner following back-to-back losses. The next chance to flip that comes Saturday, April 26 when the group travels to face Orlando City SC at Inter&Co Stadium.
The next transfer window runs Thursday, July 24 to Thursday, August 21. This window opens later than in previous years to better align with the global transfer market, according to MLS.
