A Brazilian native whose love for the beautiful game carried him from South America to the collegiate fields of Oklahoma and eventually to the coaching sidelines across the United States, Silva arrives in Florida with nearly two decades of experience shaping young athletes into college-ready competitors, and, more importantly, into outstanding individuals.
A CAREER BUILT ON TURNING PROGRAMS AROUND
Silva's résumé reads like a blueprint for building winning programs from scratch. After a distinguished playing career, including two consecutive First Team All-America selections at Oklahoma Wesleyan University, he pursued a degree in Sports Science from Oklahoma Baptist University, followed by a Master's in Sports Administration from Eastern New Mexico University. That academic foundation, combined with his on-field expertise, set the stage for a coaching career defined by transformation.
Before his head coaching career, Silva had already demonstrated a championship-caliber coaching touch at Oklahoma Baptist University, where in just his first season as assistant coach, he helped guide the Bison to the Sooner Athletic Conference regular season and tournament title, the first in school history, a run that carried the team to the NAIA national tournament's Sweet Sixteen and a No. 7 national ranking.
His first major stop as a head coach came at Gateway Legacy Christian Academy in Florissant, Missouri, where he spent five years turning a modest soccer program into a nationally recognized powerhouse. Under his direction, Gateway became a premier destination for international talent, preparing young players for careers at the collegiate and professional levels. In his tenure, Silva placed players at programs across the country, earning a reputation as one of the most effective developmental coaches in prep soccer.
BUILDING A NATIONAL POWERHOUSE AT VICTORY ROCK PREP
Coach Silva is very familiar with Bradenton. He also served as head coach at Victory Rock Prep, where he continued to prove that he could take a brand-new program and quickly turn it into a national contender. The results during his time there were some of the most impressive of his coaching career.
His team won the Disney Cup not once, but twice — one of the most well-known and competitive youth soccer tournaments in the country, held annually in Orlando, Florida. Winning it once is a big deal. Winning it twice shows consistency and a program that was built to compete at the highest level.
The crowning achievement, however, came at the 2025 Dallas Cup — widely considered one of the most prestigious youth soccer tournaments in the world. Silva's Victory Rock Prep team fought their way all the way to the quarterfinals, where they faced Everton F.C., a professional academy from England's top soccer league. Competing against a full-time professional academy from Europe and reaching that stage is a remarkable accomplishment for any prep program, and it put Victory Rock, and Coach Silva, on the map in a very real way.
Over the course of his career, Silva has helped more than 400 athletes find a path to college or professional soccer — a number that reflects not just his recruiting ability, but his genuine dedication to each player's future long after the final whistle.
MORE THAN WINS AND TROPHIES
What separates Silva from the field is not simply his record, but his philosophy. He believes deeply in the transformative power of sport, that soccer is a vehicle for teaching teamwork, discipline, resilience, and leadership. Over the course of his coaching career, he has helped more than 400 athletes find pathways to collegiate soccer, a number that reflects not just recruiting skill but genuine commitment to each player's future.
He sees every athlete as a unique combination of talent, dedication, and potential, and he works to ensure that financial constraints or lack of exposure never prevent a deserving young player from being seen. That mission aligns naturally with Inspiration Academy's commitment to developing the whole student-athlete.
KEY PLAYERS
The best way to measure a coach is by what happens to his players after they leave. For Coach Silva, the results tell a powerful story. Several of his former players from Gateway and from Victory Rock have gone on to compete at top college programs — and in at least one case, to the doorstep of professional soccer.
Bruno Rosa — Graduated from Providence College. Listed in the MLS SuperDraft and currently pursuing a professional contract.
Dudu Rodrigues — Signed with Saint Louis University. Praised by the Billikens coaching staff as one of the top attacking players in the nation.
Guilherme Coutinho — Received multiple Division I offers before choosing UC East Bay, one of the top NCAA Division II programs in the country.
Henrique Lobato — Recruited by Grand Canyon University, one of the fastest-growing Division I programs in the country.
Pedro Albuquerque — Currently competing at Eastern Illinois University at the collegiate level.
Bruno Rosa's journey is especially worth noting. After graduating from Providence College — a well-respected Division I program — he entered the MLS SuperDraft, putting him among the top
college soccer players in the entire country considered for professional contracts. He is currently working toward signing his first professional deal, a milestone that reflects not just his own hard work, but the level of preparation Coach Silva provides his players.
These five players are just a snapshot of the more than 400 athletes Silva has helped find a path to college or professional soccer over the course of his career.
SETTING HIS SIGHTS ON INSPIRATION ACADEMY
Silva comes to Inspiration Academy at a pivotal moment, tasked with building and leading a soccer program from the ground up, a challenge he has faced before and conquered.
Silva has built winners before at programs few would have predicted could compete nationally. Now, with the resources of a dedicated institution behind him and his recruiting skills, the ambition is clear: to make Inspiration Academy soccer one of the premier programs in the nation.
