TRANSFER TRACKER UPDATE:Signing
The Houston Dynamo announced Friday that they have acquired defensive midfielder Matias Vera on a full transfer from Argentine Primera Division side San Lorenzo. The 23-year-old player, loaned to Chilean squad O'Higgins this past season, will be added to the Dynamo utilizing Targeted Allocation Money. The transfer will be completed pending receipt of Vera's International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 Visa along with a completed medical.
“Matias comes to our club at a prime age with over 100 professional games played. He’s a player we’ve tracked as a staff for quite some time and feel will fit a very specific role within our group in the defensive midfield position,” said Dynamo Senior Vice President and General Manager Matt Jordan in a team statement. “We are confident his strong mentality and quality as a player will contribute to the success of our team moving forward.”
Vera, who played 25 league games and two Copa Chile matches with O'Higgins in 2018, started his professional career with Argentine squad Nueva Chicago, playing 85 matches over three years there. He moved to San Lorenzo in January 2018 and was immediately sent out on loan to Chile.
Dynamo head coach Wilmer Cabrera sees Vera providing cover for Juan David Cabezas, who was injured for much of 2018 but proved a linchpin to the Dynamo's success — including the team's 2018 U.S. Open Cup win — when healthy. Cabrera sees Vera as "someone who will create depth and competition in the middle. That is important, understanding that we are facing three competitions throughout the season.”
“We are excited to sign Matias because he will help us improve and will give us balance in the team," he added. "He is a natural ball winner in the midfield who is also young and a very talented distributor of the ball in the middle of the field.”
Vera will join fellow countryman Tomas Martinez on one of MLS's most internationally-diverse squads, with seven different nations represented in Dynamo orange.
