HOUSTON – Major League Soccer is just a couple of weeks into the offseason, but the Houston Dynamo have already made several significant changes to the roster and both general manager Matt Jordan and new Dynamo head coach Tab Ramos confirmed that there are more to come.
Two prominent additions to the roster: attacker Darwin Quintero and defender Zarek Valentin, acquired in separate trades, as well as the departures of goalkeeper Joe Willis, traded to Nashville SC for Valentin on Tuesday, and winger Romell Quioto, who on Wednesday was traded to the Montreal Impact for defender Victor Cabrera and $100,000 in General Allocation Money.
Jordan told reporters at Quintero's introductory press conference on Wednesday, “you’ve already seen some moves and there will be more,” although additional details were not shared.
“What has been important is that Tab has been here for the last two weeks, and it’s really provided an opportunity for the technical staff to sit with Tab and coaches and go through our current roster with a fine-tooth comb and analyze the pieces that makes sense for us moving forward, and the pieces that aren’t going to fit with what we are working towards,” Jordan explained.
Jordan added that the team has a strong base, noting that “we want to continue to build on that foundation, which is important.”
It’s clear that Dynamo have to make changes in order to be a surefire Audi MLS Cup Playoffs qualifier after missing the last two editions. But it’s also obvious that there are many talented players with potential. It’s something that Ramos highlighted – he is pleased with the roster he starting with and is excited to see the changes to come.
“At this moment I think that we have already covered well our wingers with Zarek's arrival,” said Ramos, “and I think that one of our priorities is that we need of course a goalkeeper and we are looking for one. And I would also like to bring a midfielder, and the rest just depends on what happens with the rest of the team.”
The biggest takeaway from both Jordan and Ramos is that the Dynamo will not look the same next season, and they expect to be busy on the transfer market.
Will fan favorites and young stars Mauro Manotas and Alberth Elis be back next season? That question still lingers with Jordan and Ramos not offering any definitive answers.
“I think that when you have multiple talented players with good quality, it’s a good problem to have that we will have to solve,” said Ramos. “But in general, I am happy with the roster that I have at this moment and we just have to wait to see what happens in these two months while we finalize what will be the roster of the team.”
