TORONTO – After a promising rookie season in 2012, Toronto FC midfielder Luis Silva left Canada for Germany on Thursday for a two-week training stint with 2.Bundesliga side FSV Frankfurt.

Silva, 24, scored five goals and had five assists in 30 games, including 22 starts during his first season in MLS.

“I think that will help him,” Toronto FC head coach Paul Mariner told MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday. “It’s a different environment.”

Silva was Toronto’s first pick in January’s MLS SuperDraft and the fourth selection overall after playing for the University of California Santa Barbara. He finished fourth in the voting for MLS Rookie of the Year earlier this month.

“I don’t think we’ll have a sophomore slump with Silva,” Mariner said. “He really loves the game, he wants to improve, he wants to get better.”

Mariner said he feels the Reds’ high number of injuries meant Silva started more games than was ideal for a first-year player, and that may have played a part in his slow fade as the regular season came to a close.

“I think he played too many games and I think it really got to him at the end,” Mariner said. “It’s a very arduous season and he didn’t need to start that many games. But it was a necessity because of the injury situation.

“There’s no doubt about his ability, his touch on the ball,” Mariner added. “I think it was a very good signing for us.”



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