Offseason Outlook: Houston Dynamo

By Dustyn Richardson (@housports)

The offseason in Houston once again brings more question marks for the Dynamo as they enter yet another period of rebuilding. Gone are head coach Wilmer Cabrera and captain DaMarcus Beasley, in is former United States U23 coach Tab Ramos and a roster with plenty of holes still to fill.

A new era brings a bit of a renewed hope in the fanbase, but the Dynamo still have a bit of work to do if they want to compete in an increasingly difficult Western Conference. If Ramos and general manager Matt Jordan can fill the remaining holes in the roster and get the team to buy-in to the new system, this team could perhaps make some noise in 2020.

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Area of Depth

Scoring goals shouldn’t be a problem in Houston in 2020, as the Dynamo have a myriad of attacking options at Ramos’ disposal. Transfer rumors have been swirling around Alberth Elis and Mauro Manotas since last season and it remains to be seen if one or both of them will be sold to Europe or Mexico this offseason. Manotas finished 5th in Major League Soccer last year with 14.6 xG and the Colombian seems to be just entering his prime. If the Dynamo can hold on to Manotas they have a proven goal scorer to continue building around.

Even if Manotas were to leave for greener pastures, the Dynamo should still feel content with their options up front. Mid-season acquisition Christian Ramirez fit in well down the stretch last season and can play as the nine if Manotas leaves or play wide as more of an inverted wing in Ramos 4-3-3 system. The big acquisition this offseason was Ramirez’s former Minnesota teammate, Darwin Quintero. At 32, Quintero may not be in his prime any longer, but he should bring another exciting element to Houston’s attack. Where Quintero plays is the biggest question mark. If or when Elis leaves, Quintero likely slots in on the right wing. If Elis is in orange this season, look for Quintero to play up front or behind Manotas/Ramirez as a second striker. Homegrown player Memo Rodriguez, Venezuelan youngster Ronaldo Pena, and former Columbus player Niko Hansen are also options to play on the wings or up front.

Area of Need

This is an easy one. First and foremost, the Dynamo currently have one goalkeeper on their roster, Michael Nelson, and he has played a grand total of zero minutes in Major League Soccer. While Nelson may be the future in goal, Ramos ideally would have a seasoned veteran to call on as the starter. Reports have linked the Dynamo with St. Mirren keeper Vaclav Hladky and Club Leon’s William Yarbrough. Yarbrough, an American with three USMNT caps, would not take up an international slot and with that edge over Hladky, he is likely the Dynamo’s top choice.

Another area that Houston would be keen in looking to strengthen is the midfield. Depth is currently nonexistent with both Juan David Cabezas and Darwin Ceren out of contract. Oscar Boniek Garcia is still a solid contributor, but at 35 years old, you can’t expect him to hold up playing a lot of minutes in the long grind that is an MLS season. Tomas Martinez, Matias Vera, and Tommy McNamara look to be the starters in midfield, for now, depending on where Quintero ends up slotting in. Vera is the lone defensive midfielder of the three and depth at that position is sorely needed. McNamara is a bit of hybrid in the midfield and is better suited coming off the bench. If Ramos can find another attacking or defensive mid, depending on how he wants his three man midfield set up, McNamara will ideally go back to a substitutes roll.

If the Dynamo can find a solid goalkeeper, they should be an above average defensive side. The backline could use some depth, but recent reports point to the ageless Maynor Figueroa returning. A foursome of Adam Lundkvist, Kiki Struna, Figueroa, and offseason pick up Zarek Valentin should make for a more than competent defense in Major League Soccer ranks. Chilean Jose Bizama could fill in anywhere on the back four and the other defensive options are all 23 years old or younger with Alejandro Fuenmayor, Sam Junqua, and Erik McCue. A veteran backup that can play full back or centrally should be an area the Dynamo are looking at signing, whether that is a MLS veteran or someone from South America or Europe with experience.

Outlook

Will Dynamo ownership open the bank safe and bring in some big-name players? With one, and possibly two, designated player slots open, Dynamo fans have been waiting for a star to arrive in Houston. A true Mexican star (sorry Cubo) would be ideal in a market with a very large Mexican population, but it seems Dynamo fans are not picky at this point. There just has not been a drive from ownership to “go for it,” as we have seen become more of the norm across MLS in recent years. With attendance in a steady decline, the local newspaper not employing a beat writer, and no good blogs covering the team full time, the fanbase is losing interest rapidly. The hiring of Tab Ramos has seemed to breathe a little life in to the fans, so now is the time to capitalize. If Manotas or Elis go, the Dynamo will have even more money and roster flexibility to “go for it.”

Alas, Rome was not built in a day and neither will this iteration of the Houston Dynamo. Big signing or not, this team is going to go through some growing pains before it can think about climbing back to the top of Mount MLS.