On the final day of the MLS summer transfer window the Colorado Rapids made a midfield swap to acquire Orlando City SC’s Luis Gil and Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) in exchange for Dillon Powers. Here are three things to know about the newest member of the club.
1. Professional debut at 16 years old
The Garden Grove, California native turned professional when he signed a Generation Adidas contract with Major League Soccer in February 2010. The midfielder’s professional debut came for Real Salt Lake during the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match against D.C. United on June 2, 2010 in which he entered following regulation and played 30 minutes in an eventual RSL loss.
2. Playoff experience
Gil’s five goals and three assists in the 2013 MLS regular season helped catapult Real Salt Lake in to the playoffs and eventually the MLS Cup where they would fall to Sporting Kansas City. The midfielder was a mainstay in RSL’s starting XI for all five matches during the playoff run.
During his tenure with the Utah club, Gil featured in 134 regular season matches and 11 post-season matches from 2010-15.
3. For Country
On the international stage, Gil has received two caps with the senior U.S. Men’s National Team and also represented his country on the youth level from 2008-2016 where he scored 15 goals in 61 appearances.
In 2009, he played in the CONCACAF U-17 Championships and the FIFA U-17 World Cup. He scored in the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup and played alongside new Rapids teammate Dillon Serna on the U-23 side that came up short in qualifying for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.
His first appearance with the U.S. senior team came on February 1, 2014 in a friendly against South Korea.
