Houston Dynamo 2024 player report cards: Franco Escobar
(image via Diego Martinez)
We’re continuing our 2024 report card series, recapping each Dynamo and Dash player’s season. Today we dive into Houston’s left back, Franco Escobar.
2024 Grade: B
2024 by the numbers (MLS play)
Appearances: 24
Minutes played: 1818
Goals: 2
Assists: 1
G+ per 96: 0.00
2024 in review
(image via FBref.com and FBcharts.com)
Looking back at the season—and, on a larger scale, at the culture this Houston Dynamo team has worked to establish—few players embody the spirit of "hustle town" more than Franco Escobar. After a solid 2023 campaign, Escobar aimed to build on his success. He was dependable defensively, capable of getting forward, and, above all, known as a workhorse.
This season, Escobar delivered much of the same. He scored some key goals, including one against San Jose at home and another in his return to Atlanta, his former club. Though he played seven fewer matches than in 2023 due to lower-body injuries, his impact at left back was still significant.
The fullback position was notably stronger this year, with Ben Olsen often pairing Escobar and Griffin Dorsey. Together, they caused major problems for opposing defenses, even though Dorsey took a step back from what was arguably the best season of his career in 2023.
Escobar also maintained a similar disciplinary record to 2023, picking up eleven yellow cards and one red. This is consistent with his playing style—gritty, good at advancing the ball, but also prone to moments of recklessness.
In any Dynamo "argument" or on-field confrontation, Escobar was almost always the first player to arrive on the scene. He had a solid season overall, one that deserves praise, though nothing out of the ordinary given his established standards.
Moment of the season
Escobar scored twice this season, as mentioned above, and while his goal against his former club Atlanta United was important, his goal earlier in the season against San Jose on March 30 was even bigger. The Dynamo trailed the Earthquakes 1-0 after 80 minutes until Sebas Ferreira equalized in the 81st. Franco was then Johnny on the spot in the 84th minute, smashing home the match winner in the 84th minute.
Looking forward
The Dynamo exercised the option in Escobar’s contract for 2025, meaning he will return to Houston next season. Miami flirted with trying to acquire Franco last season, but he is now the established starter at left back for the Dynamo going forward.