What does McKinze Gaines bring to the Dynamo?
(image via Charlotte FC)
The Houston Dynamo acquired McKinze Gains from Nashville SC today in exchange for 75K in General Allocation Money in 2025. Let’s take a look at what Gaines can add to this Dynamo roster.
Who is McKinze Gaines?
Gaines, who turned 26 in March, spent time in Germany, bouncing around to a number of clubs. He spent time in Wolfsburg’s academy before playing for Darmstadt 98, Zwickau, Großaspach, and Hannover. Gaines returned to the US in 2021 when he signed with his hometown club, Austin FC. Gaines was selected by Charlotte FC in the 2021 MLS Expanison draft and made 43 appearances there before being traded to Nashville in December. He has scored 3 goals and 6 assists in 55 appearances in Major League Soccer.
Where does he fit?
“McKinzie is a dynamic attacker who can stretch the field with his speed and 1v1 ability,” General Manager Pat Onstad said. “We are excited to welcome McKinzie back to his home state of Texas and look forward to him contributing to our team’s success.” Gaines has played on both wings in his career and has even played centrally at times. He started and played a CAM role in Nashville’s 2-2 draw with the LA Galaxy on March 10 where he assisted on the team’s second goal. Gaines is very fast and as Onstad said, he loves to take people on. If we take a look at his scouting report on fbref, we can see just how good he is at it.
4.52 progressive carries per 90 minutes is incredibly high and Gaines is in the 98th percentile of players with 3.53 successful take-ons per 90 minutes. Compare that to 0.2 per 90 for Brad Smith, who the Dynamo have used late in games, and you see what Gaines can bring to the Dynamo attack. Aliyu Ibrahim is the only Dynamo player with more than 9 succesful take-ons this season, registering 16 in 709 minutes. Gaines is limited in his other skill sets but he is very good at one thing, a thing the Dynamo badly need in their attack. He should be able to give Houston another look and style, especially late in games when needing a goal, like we saw in Saturday’s loss.
How does this affect future transfers?
Gaines is American and won’t take up an international roster spot. In last September’s MLSPA salary release, Gaines had a base salary of $100,000. He won’t take up much of the Dynamo’s salary cap at all, meaning there will be room for more moves before tomorrow’s deadline. One move that looks to be getting done is the signing of defensive midfielder Jefferson Valverde from LDU Quito. Bringing in Gaines and Valverde will solidify depth for the Dynamo in positions that they need it in. It also leaves the door open for a Designated Player signing this summer, when most players around the world are either out of contract or their clubs are also in the middle of transfer windows and more willing to sell.
