San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Matheus Silva is in “critical but stable” condition after he had to be revived from a near-drowning incident at Lake Tahoe on the Fourth of July.
Silva was swimming in the cold water of Lake Tahoe when he called out for help, then went under 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
“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.
Doctors have reportedly been checking for brain damage on Silva, who has shown at least some encouraging signs. The cause of the near-drowning might be the shock from the cold water.
Potempa said doctors also ran a neurological test that checks the cranial nerves: “We know his pupils are dilating when a light is shown in his eyes,” he said.
Silva’s mother was visiting his aunt in Miami, so she was able to fly to Tahoe to see her son. Silva grew up in a favela in Brazil, before coming to the United States to play soccer in high school. He is currently on loan with the Reno 1868 USL team, but played last year for the Earthquakes and the Arizona United USL team.
