Meet the New Guys - Ivan Franco
(image via Miguel Schincariol/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Previous Club: Club Libertad
Acquired By: Loan, 1 year loan with a permanent option
Position: Forward/Midfielder
Who is Ivan Franco?
22-year -old Ivan Franco was born in Ybycui, Paraguay. He was brought into the Libertad first team in 2018 from the club’s youth team. He eventually made his debut in February 2018 and became a regular in the team from then on. Franco had his most prolific season in 2019 scoring 11 goals and adding 5 assists in 37 games. That impressive form had him linked to multiple European giants including Paris St. Germain. This form also earned him his first appearance with the Paraguay national team, making his debut in September 2019. Franco’s incredible form died down following 2019, failing to score more than 1 goal in a season ever since. This drop in performance has made him fall out of the national team picture entirely and his big European move never came.
What does Franco bring to Houston?
The Dynamo, in both 2021 and 2022, struggled to find consistent productivity out of their wide players following the departure of Alberth Elis in 2020. This issue was emphasized more with the arrival of Sebastian Ferreira in 2022. Ferreira was incredible in front of goal but struggled to get the service necessary from the wide players to have a truly prolific season. Franco addresses this need in multiple ways. Having the ability to play on either flank, or in an attacking midfield position, provides much needed flexibility. Franco has played most of his games on the left wing, providing the threat of cutting inside and allowing fullbacks to overlap. He is a smaller player at the height of 5’5’ who can make use of tight spaces, something the team has lacked outside of Darwin Quintero in recent seasons. This playmaking ability will take creative pressure of Coco Carrasquilla and Hector Herrera and allow them to venture into the box more often. Franco played alongside Ferreira at Libertad in 2020 and 2021. The two players have an established understanding of how they like to play and can solve Ferreira’s lack of service. This chemistry can be what takes the Dynamo offense to a playoff level.
Franco has limited data at fbref.com due to his league and a limited amount of playing time. You can however get a glimpse of some of his data on his player page.
