The Houston Dynamo and the Number 7 Shirt
(image via Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports)
The number 7 shirt has a long history in the sport of soccer. It’s usually been worn by right wingers around the world, stars like David Beckham, Raul, Cristiano Ronaldo, and countless others. At the Houston Dynamo it has a much less storied history. Much like the number 10, it has been a shirt number to forget for Dynamo fans. Before Ivan Franco dons the number 7 this season, let’s look back at the previous men who have worn that fabled number in Houston.
Chris Wondolowski (2006-2009)
Yeah, that Chris Wondlowski. The guy with the most goals in Major League Soccer history. Before he became the best goal scorer in league history with the San Jose Earthquakes, Wondolowski was an original Dynamo, moving with the team from San Jose in 2006. He led the Dynamo reserve team with 13 goals in 2006 and scored the first of his many MLS goals that season. He ended up scoring just 4 goals for Houston before being traded to the re-created Earthquakes in June of 2009 in exchange for Cam Weaver.
Luis Angel Landin (2009-2010)
When you talk about Designated Player busts in MLS history, Landin lands on that list. Desperate for a Mexican star, the Dynamo made Landin the first DP in club history in 2009. He was released less than a year later after scoring just twice.
Colin Clark (2010-2012)
The Colorado native was traded to the Dynamo, from the Rapids, in 2010 for Brian Mullan and cash. Clark appeared in 43 games for the Dynamo and scored 5 goals. In 2012, he was suspended 3 games for uttering an anti-gay slur at a ball boy during a nationally televised match against the Seattle Sounders. He later apologized. His contract expired after the 2012 season and he was selected by the LA Galaxy in the 2013 MLS Re-Entry Draft. Clark tragically passed away in 2019 at the age of 35 after suffering a heart attack.
Omar Cummings (2013-2014)
Cummings, a Jamaican international, was traded from the Dynamo from the Colorado Rapids for Nathan Sturgis and cash in December of 2012. He played two seasons in Houston, appearing in 37 games and scoring 3 goals. He was most remembered for being a playoff hero for the Dynamo in 2013, scoring the series-winning goal against the New York Red Bulls in the second leg of the Eastern Conference Semifinal after scoring a stoppage-time equalizer in the first leg of the tie. He left Houston after the 2014 season and signed with the San Antonio Scorpions in the North American Soccer League.
DaMarcus Beasley (2015-2019)
Beasley signed with the Dynamo as a Designated Player following the 2014 World Cup. He originally wore number 21 in his first season with the team but then switched to 7. Beasley is easily the most succesful 7 in Dynamo history. He signed a new deal after the 2016 season that no longer counted him as a DP and then helped lead the Dynamo to the Western Conference Final in 2017. Beasley then won the 2018 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with the Dynamo and played in the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League where he scored the winner against Guastatoya. He got injured in the next round against Tigres and retired at the end of the season.
Alberth Elis (2020)
The Honduran wore 17 and switched to 7 after Beasley’s retirement. The 2020 season was interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Elis made his debut that season on July 13. Elis scored 4 goals in 6 appearances that season and then was sold to Boavista in Portugal on September 21. La Panterita finished his Dynamo career, in both jersey numbers, with 35 goals in 101 appearances.
Mateo Bajamich (2021)
You’ll be forgiven if you forgot the last two players to wear number 7, starting with Bajamich. The Bajamich signing sums up the old era pretty well. The Argentine was brought in for north of a million dollars and made just 9 appearances for the Dynamo, spending most of his time back in Argentina on loan.
Thiaguinho (2022)
Is Thiaguinho the Brazilian Bajamich? Or Bajamich is the Brazilian Thiaguinho? Thiaguinho was loaned to the Dynamo last season as a U-22 signing and was a big flop. General Manager Pat Onstad mentioned later in the season that the team did not do their due diligence in signing the winger. He made just 3 appearances for the Dynamo and finished out the year playing for Dynamo 2.
