City Adds At The Transfer Deadline Ahead Of Sunday Night Soccer At LAFC

ST. LOUIS - St. Louis City SC, struggling for goals and struggling for creativity in attack, were looking to add before Major League Soccer’s transfer window closed this past Wednesday.

When asked if attacking impetus could come from outside the club’s current roster, head coach Olof Mellberg explained that the team was exploring all options. For a little more than a week, it was reported that City Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel would, once again, look to Germany for reinforcements.

On April 14, reports out of Germany suggested FC Augsburg’s Fredrik Jensen was set to head stateside and join St. Louis City. After a lack of updates on this potential signing for about a week, local Augsburg outlet Augsburger Allgemeine reported the deal was off.

Per Augsburger Allgemeine, “the transfer has collapsed after the player, the American club, and MLS failed to reach an agreement,” which saw the speculated move fall apart in the final week of MLS’s transfer period.

Jensen is on an expiring contract with Bundesliga side FC Augsburg, who are not planning on renewing his deal in the offseason. Given City’s penchant for signing players during the summer who had contracts expire after the European schedule ends, it’s still quite possible Fredrik Jensen signs as a free agent during the summer transfer window.

For now, City felt the need to address an attack that has only scored five goals in nine MLS contests in 2025. They did that on Wednesday, announcing the acquisition of Xande Silva, a winger who started the season with Atlanta United.

"Xande is a player who brings versatility and speed to our attack and is very dangerous in 1v1 situations," said Lutz Pfannenstiel in a press release on Wednesday. "He’s competed at a high level in multiple countries, including in France, Portugal, England, and in MLS, and we believe his skill set fits with the way we want to play. We're excited to have him here and look forward to what he’ll bring to the group."

Silva, 28, started his career in Portugal, where he spent five years in the academy of one of the most successful clubs in the country, Sporting Lisbon. He moved to England in 2018, joining West Ham United, where he mostly played for the youth and reserve teams.

It was in East London with West Ham’s U-21 team that Silva was his most prolific, scoring 10 goals in 13 Premier League 2 appearances, where he was typically a striker/center forward. Silva made one senior Premier League appearance.

In October 2020, Silva was loaned to Aris Thessaloniki in the Greek Super League, where he saw his first significant first-team playing time, making 30 appearances. Silva also made the switch from striker to winger, where he has primarily played since.

He returned to England in the summer of 2021 upon the end of his loan, and was sold by West Ham to Nottingham Forest, who were then in the second tier of English soccer, the EFL Championship. Silva made just ten appearances for Nottingham Forest and one for their reserves before being sold in the summer of 2022 to French second division side Dijon. It was there that Silva would have his best seasons, statistically, at the senior level.

In 32 appearances over a Ligue 2 season, Silva scored six goals from the wing and added three assists. That’s where Atlanta United picked up an interest in the Portuguese winger and brought him in on loan in August of 2023, before making the deal permanent in January 2024.

In 50 appearances for the Five Stripes in Atlanta, Silva scored five goals and assisted seven. He was a more regular figure in the starting lineup before Atlanta United decided to overhaul their midfield last year.

After Atlanta bolstered their midfield, bringing back star midfielder Miguel Almiron from Newcastle United in the English Premier League and Alexey Miranchuk from Atalanta in Italy’s Serie A, Silva became a less prominent figure, featuring mostly as a substitute at the end of 2024 and the start of this season.

With St. Louis City, Silva finds a new home and a chance at more regular soccer. With Silva, City finds a winger that adds needed pace and ability with the ball at his feet that the team lacks outside of Celio Pompeu.

In the immediate term, Silva can slot in as a winger in Olof Mellberg’s system, much like the aforementioned Pompeu. Like Pompeu, Silva excels in running at defenders and getting behind the opposition’s back line, and playing over a cross or driven pass after doing so.

City also officially put pen to paper with AC Horsens on the permanent transfer of striker Simon Becher this week. Becher was on loan from the Danish club, and City exercised the purchase option on that loan.

Had they not completed the purchase, they would likely have been without attacking reinforcements over the summer. Becher’s loan was set to expire at the end of June, and the MLS summer transfer window wouldn’t open until about a month later.

“Simon has made a positive impact since joining the club last summer, so we’re thrilled to make him a permanent part of St. Louis CITY SC,” said Lutz Pfannenstiel in a club statement. “He’s a dynamic forward with proven MLS experience, and his time in Europe has added another dimension to his game. For me, this feels like adding another local product to the team, given Simon’s time at Saint Louis University. He already feels a strong connection to the city and our passionate fans.”

By locking up Becher and signing Xande Silva, City have addressed their depth in attack for the time being. Silva was at the training ground on Friday and is expected to be available for selection for Sunday Night Soccer in Los Angeles against LAFC.

Silva adds a combination of pace and skill that this City team was lacking in some spots of the field. LAFC’s Denis Bouanga made a name for himself as one of the best players in MLS with his skill on the ball, and keeping Bouanga at bay is crucial if City wants to get a result on the road in LA Sunday night.

“I thought we had a good training session on Wednesday, and I feel confident in the gameplan we have against LAFC,” said Olof Mellberg Friday afternoon. “We’re aware of how they play, their strengths and possible weaknesses. I think the [City] players come into this game feeling very comfortable, as well… We know the individual qualities they have, especially Bouanga out there on the left. He’s a really good player individually, he’s one we’ve definitely had a look at.”

Bouanga converted from the penalty spot to earn a point for LAFC in a wild 3-3 draw with the Portland Timbers last Sunday. As he reeled away in celebration, he lifted his LAFC shirt to reveal an undershirt with “RIP Aaron Boupendza”, a memorial to the former MLS striker who passed away in China last week.

Also on the scoresheet for LAFC last week was star striker Olivier Giroud. Signed last summer, Giroud was expected to add firepower to an already dangerous LAFC attack, but had only scored twice, both outside of MLS competition, until burying a free kick from just outside the box Sunday evening.

With Bouanga coming into form and Giroud finally finding his MLS shooting boots, it will be a tough task for Olof Mellberg’s City to lock down LA.

On the injury front, Joakim Nilsson and Jannes Horn are set to return to the City fold this week, with both training with the team and both available for selection Sunday.

Tomas Totland and Roman Bürki are both unavailable but close to a return. Totland experienced a setback with his hamstring injury, and the team is being cautious with Bürki’s injured hand.

There are no new updates on the likes of Jay Reid and Rasmus Alm, though both were spotted in more intense training as they try to get back to full fitness. Reid is recovering from offseason foot surgery, while Rasmus Alm has been dealing with a lingering knee issue for some time.

Not on the injury front, there is still no further news on a potential return of Eduard Löwen. City’s No. 10 has been out for the past month now, attending to a personal matter.

City will hunt for a result that brings them back into the early MLS Western Conference playoff picture on Apple TV’s primetime Sunday Night Soccer, with kickoff set for 6:10pm Central time. Local radio broadcasts can be found on KYKY 98.1 FM in English and KXOK 102.9 FM in Spanish.

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