Where are they now: Aljaz Struna and Sofia Huerta
Have you ever wondered, “what ever happened with that player that used to be with Houston?” Well, we’ve got you covered. Here is an update on Houston Dynamo and Dash players who have left the club in recent years. We will highlight one from each team each week.
Aljaz Struna
The Slovenian defender was brought in from Palermo in Serie B in hopes of solidifying the team before the start of the 2019 season. Kiki Struna played in 32 games for Houston, 3 in the CONCACAF Champions League tournament. The Dynamo and Struna finished well-below the playoff line at the end of the season after another disappointing year from the club. In 2020, Houston looked to build something different under newly appointed manager Tab Ramos and a rebrand for the club. Kiki had a great performance in the home opener against LA Galaxy, when he shut down Javier Hernandez the whole game. However, not long after that, COVID-19 quickly changed the plans for everyone in the world. Struna would go on to play 17 games for the Dynamo during that odd year in the bubble.
Struna’s time in Houston came to an end sooner than originally expected. While Kiki showed flashes of greatness, he underperformed for how much he was being paid. Houston traded him to CF Montreal in return for forward Maximiliano Urruti and a 2022 MLS SuperDraft second-round pick. Struna spent the 2021 season with the Canadian club, appearing in 12 games, before Montreal opted to decline their contract option on him.
Aljaz returned to Italy, after spending 10 long months without a club, when he was signed by Perugia in the Italian second-division for the 22/23 season. Currently, Kiki is playing Serie C Group A with Triestina after joining the club in the fall. The Slovenian has played in 21 games so far for the Union, scoring 1 goal.
Sofia Huerta
The American midfielder arrived in Houston after a trade that sent Christen Press and a draft pick to the Chicago Red Stars in the summer of 2018. Sofia immediately jumped into the first team under then head coach Vera Pauw. Huerta appeared in 23 games for the Dash and netted 8 goals in her first year with Houston. At the end of the NWSL season, Sofia was sent on a short loan to Sydney FC with the hopes of increasing her form and making the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup with Team USA. Huerta, unofrtunately, was left out of the squad for that important tournament. Sofia was one of the best players during her time with the Dash. She appeared in 24 games and scored 5 more goals in 2019 for the Dash and was once again loaned to Sydney FC.
Huerta was traded, alongside Amber Brooks, to OL Reign in exchange for Shea Groom, Megan Oyster (now Montefusco), and a conditional draft pick in February of 2020. As mentioned earlier with Kiki, 2020 was an odd season, especially for the NWSL. Sofia appeared in 6 games with OL Reign that year that included the 2020 NWSL Fall Series and NWSL Challenge Cup. Since then, Sofia has appeared in a total of 65 games for OL Reign, where she still plays. Huerta was named to the USWNT squad that competed in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
