D.C. United remain stuck at the bottom of the MLS standings, but they took dramatic action to improve their roster on Tuesday with the acquisition of creative midfielder Luis Silva from Toronto FC in exchange for allocation money.

“Luis is an exciting and creative young player with tremendous technical ability,” said United general manager Dave Kasper in a club statement. “He has shown the capacity to manufacture and score goals. We’re excited to add a player of his caliber to a dynamic young core of players.”

A college teammate of United star Chris Pontius at UC Santa Barbara, Silva scored seven goals in 54 appearances in all competitions for the Reds. He was the fourth overall selection in the 2012 Superdraft.

At almost the very moment that deal was being announced, The Washington Post reported that the Black-and-Red have sold versatile veteran Alain Rochat to Young Boys, his former club in Switzerland, as Kasper and United coach Ben Olsen continue to remake their squad in the midst of a difficult 2013 campaign.

At time of publication, United officials had not responded to a request for comment from MLSsoccer.com.