Marcelo Silva extends stay with #RSLfam

We now know why Real Salt Lake vice captain and center back Marcelo Silva was smiling so much during his end-of-season media interviews.

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Marcelo Silva walked into the media room inside the Zions Bank Real Academy with a big, wide smile on his face.

The 33-year-old center back was clearly happy about something. Did it have to do with his family? It always does.

Did it have to do with his contract negotiations, in which he was actively engaged at the moment following the 2022 season? He couldn’t fully say.

But good news was coming on that front, he nodded cheekily.

Now we know why Silva was smiling.

Real Salt Lake agreed to a new multiyear contract with its sixth-year center back, extending the Uruguayan defender for a seventh year (and beyond).

“I am very happy and excited to continue my career with this team and this city,” said Silva, just after signing his new deal upon his return from celebrating holidays with family in South America. “I look forward to continued success under Pablo’s guidance, and I cannot wait to kick off the new season in front of our amazing fans.”

It’s not a lifetime contract for Silva. But at 33, it might feel that way. For that matter, it just might be for Silva as he continues a surge in play under manager Pablo Mastroeni.

“For me, I think it would be a wonderful thing to finish my career with this team,” Silva said in Spanish during his postseason appearance.

vSilva has appeared in 119 matches, including 114 starts, across his regular season and MLS Cup Playoff career on the Wasatch Front. When paired with fellow center back Justen Glad, Silva has an 11-5-8 record for RSL, allowing just 25 goals in close to 2,500 minutes of play across multiple formations.

Four in the back or three, it doesn’t matter for Silva. He wants stability, and he wants to win. At RSL, he’s now found that he can do both.

Silva’s return on a new deal became even more of a need during the 2022 season. After team captain Damir Kreilach was forced to the bench with back surgery, Silva donned the captain’s armband as vice captain for most of the remainder of the campaign.

The moment elevated his play, scoring two goals in a career-high 2,895 minutes across 32 starts while leading Real Salt Lake to a seventh-place finish in the Western Conference and a playoff appearance for the 12th time in the past 15 seasons, including four of the last five.

Silva signed with Real Salt Lake on July 3, 2017 after making 134 appearances in Spain with Almería, Las Palmas, Valladolid and Zaragoza in La Liga and the Spanish Segunda from 2010 and 2017. A native of Mercedes, Uruguay, Silva’s career began with his youth club Danubio FC in 2009.

He also represented Uruguay 11 times at the U-20 level, scoring one goal across stints at the FIFA U-20 World Cup and 2019 South American Youth Championships.