Earthquakes midfielder Matheus Silva was swimming in South Lake Tahoe early Tuesday when he cried out for help as the sun began peeking over the Sierra.

Then he went under the icy water. Friends thought the 6-foot-2 Brazilian was joking. But he didn’t resurface during a 6 a.m. swim to start the summer holiday.

Related Articles Earthquakes teen goes from slums of Sao Paulo to MLS “His heart stopped and he wasn’t breathing,” Eric Guevin of Tahoe Douglas Fire said Wednesday.

Then friends got the player to a beach at Zephyr Cove Resort and administered cardiopulmonary resuscitation, according to those familiar with the situation. Paramedics arrived quickly because their station was across the street from the popular Nevada resort.

Medics were able to revive Silva before transferring him to Barton Memorial Hospital in South Lake Tahoe. Silva, 20, later was airlifted to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, where he was listed in critical but stable condition, according to an Earthquakes release.

“Whatever the immediate cause he was in distress and the cold water played a major factor in that,” Guevin said. “We think it might have been a case of cold-water shock syndrome.”

Silva’s high school coach at Florida’s Montverde Academy was just coming off training when he got a call looking for help in finding the player’s parents.

Mike Potempa, whom Silva has described as being like a father, immediately went to work.

Potempa’s Brazilian wife called Silva’s aunt in Miami. It turned out the player’s mother, Marcia Silva, was visiting.

The mother flew to Reno to be with Silva at the hospital, Potempa said. The coach added physicians administered MRI exams Wednesday to check on potential brain damage.

The high school coach doesn’t know why Silva was swimming so early in the morning. He said the player was with friends but didn’t know if they were Silva’s teammates of Reno 1868, the United Soccer League team affiliated with the Earthquakes.

Silva has spent the season on loan in Reno, appearing in only two games this season. Last year, he made four appearances for the Earthquakes but played most of the season for a USL team in Arizona.

Silva’s journey to professional soccer has been a whirlwind since stepped off an airplane in Florida four years ago without speaking English.

Silva grew up in a Sao Paulo favela, or slum, called Taboao da Serra. The player witnessed much of the ugliness of favelas, such as drug trafficking, thievery, having friends die. He once said the experiences shaped him, but Silva also declined to detail those painful memories.

“Even though you’re in a favela, I learned so much being there,” he said in 2016. “Have your own mind and don’t listen to people. That’s what made me come to the U.S.”

Silva credited his mother with helping him steer clear of trouble that often finds teenage boys in favelas. The nurse wanted her son to focus on school, not soccer.

The Silvas received financial aid so their son could stay at Monteverde for two years, including summer school.

“Most of the soccer players my age think it is a waste of time,” Silva said of Brazilians’ view of school. “But for me, it’s just a game. You never know what is going to happen in the future.”

Silva accepted a scholarship to Saint Louis University but was signed in 2015 off waivers by the Quakes instead. He made his first appearance last year.

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