Christian spent his formative playing years under the guidance of the late Josef Schulz, founder of the famed Schulz Academy in Boca Raton, FL where he played alongside Josmer Altidore (U.S. Men’s National Team). At the age of 14 he moved to Tampa, FL where he played for the Tampa Bay Kickers, a stand alone club team that experienced tremendous success from U14 through U17 winning numerous Florida State Championships and achieving #1 rank in the United States. After spending a year on trial with teams in Argentina and Italy, he attended the University of South Florida where he played collegiately and received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology.

He began his professional career with a stint at the reserve team of the German Bundesliga’s Hannover 96 and later drew interest from Bundesliga clubs - Schalke 04 and Werder Bremen. His time in Germany was followed by professional contracts in Sweden and the USA playing for: VSI Tampa Bay FC, Karlstad BK, Rochester Rhinos, Orange County Blues FC, Arizona United, Jacksonville Armada, and Lansing Ignite FC. He is now in his 7th season as a professional football player.

Throughout his time involved in coaching during his off-seasons, Christian witnessed the harsh reality that there isn’t nearly enough emphasis on thoroughly developing technical, complete, intelligent football players within the organized football structure. Players attempt to progress through the rising levels of football with either below-average: technique, decision-making, or mentality to handle the pressures of the game. The training being offered to players is not developing their game, nor is it being taught in a way that translates to successful match application. The heartbreaking consequence is that in a much more advanced environment, those players struggle to adapt and ultimately get left behind; failing to reach their potential or worse, quitting football altogether simply because a coach didn't have the knowledge or ability to improve their game properly. Christian's attention to detail and expertise in player development sparked the original idea for his own academy where players can receive a thorough football education. 

While on his journey to become a professional football player, Christian had to overcome countless adversities. During this time, he developed an immense passion and appreciation for the psychology needed to succeed in this game. He came to the conclusion that psychology in football is largely ignored or misunderstood. Having a mental skill-set to overcome adversity or to bounce back from poor match performances seem like a foreign concepts to most; instead, the traditional solution is simply to “try harder” or “toughen up”. He wanted to understand how the most successful players used their thoughts in pressure situations and how to make confident performances happen by choice rather than chance. This led Christian to educate himself on the psychology of football performance. His passion for psychology continued to grow throughout his career, as did the realization that he could truly help others find their own success by helping them master their mind. 

Silva Academy was born from the summation of Christian’s extensive knowledge and expertise in football gained through his playing time in Argentina, Peru, Italy, Poland, Germany, Sweden, and the USA, coupled with his passion for the psychological side of the game. Its purpose is to thoroughly develop technically dominant and intelligent football players, youth to professional, while also empowering them with the mental skill set necessary to consistently perform with confidence and overcome adversity in their matches, as well as in their own pursuit of their dreams. This is achieved through:

Individual/group training program

Video Match Analysis - Guided “Football IQ” education

Psychological self-mastery and mentorship program

Overall, what sets Silva Academy apart is its brand. From our first impression to our methodical approach in how we develop mastery in our players, there will be an unmistakable professionalism in how the brand is represented. In doing this, we will lead and teach by example, the same accountability and values we instill in our players.