Where are they now: Houston Dynamo

(image via St. Louis CITY SC)

Have you ever wondered, “hey what ever happened with that player that used to be on the Dynamo?” Well, we’ve got you covered. Here is an update on Houston Dynamo players who have left the club in the past year, either permanently or on loan.

Transfer Out

Mateo Bajamich  

Bajamich will always be remembered by the Dynamo fan base for all the wrong reasons. Mateo is currently playing for Estudiantes de Rio Cuarto, a team in the second division of Argentina. He has played in 25 games and has scored 7 goals.

Ian Hoffmann 

The young American spend most of his time in Houston playing with Dynamo 2 before his contract option was declined. Ian is currently in Norway, playing with Moss FK in the Norwegian First Division. The leftback has appeared in 14 games for The Lads and tallied 3 assists.

Marcelo Palomino 

The Houston native saw his time come to an end when the club decided not to trigger his one year option. Palomino signed a 4 year contract with AFC Eskilstuna from the  second division of Sweden. Marcelo has appeared in 17 matches, notching 3 goals and 2 assists.

Zarek Valentin

Valentin was one of the most vocal players for the Dynamo in recent years and became a fan favorite. Unfortunately, he wasn’t in the plans after the 2022 season. Zarek joined Minnesota United this season where he has played in 19 games in all competitions with the Loons and has assisted 2 goals, so far.

Fafa Picault 

Picault’s time with the Dynamo looked done at the end of last season, but in an impressive deal, Pat Onstad was able to get something out of nothing by trading Fafa to Nashville. 2023 has been a good year for Fafa as he played in the Gold Cup with Haiti and with the Boys In Gold Picault has appeared in 27 games across all competitions, scoring 6 goals and assisting 2.

Tim Parker 

Parker’s time with the Dynamo was one filled with the disappointment. The club spend a lot of money for Tim to solidify a defense that just underperformed. Tim was traded to the newest expansion club, St. Louis CITY SC on the night of the expansion draft. Parker’s time with the club from Missouri has been a reemergence to his career. The center back has appeared in 22 matches and has scored 3 goals this year while being named a MLS All Star.

Darwin Quintero 

Tell me that you don’t miss Glenn Davis saying “The Scientist of Goals”? DQ was one of the most talked about players during his time im Houston. Some wanted the Colombian to start, others wanted him to be benched. However, no one could deny his creative talent. Quintero returned to Colombia with America de Cali in which he has appeared in 24 games, scoring 4 goals and chipping in 7 assists in 2023.

Memo Rodriguez 

The homegrown’s time with Houston came to an end last season when his contract option was declined. He joined LA Galaxy as a free agent, where he played in 16 games, scoring 3 goals and adding 1 assist before being traded to Austin FC. He is yet to debut with Los Verdes.

Zeca 

The Brazilian defender was brought in to take over the right back position. He couldn’t beat out Griffin Dorsey, who continues to hold the place. Zeca returned home to Brazil, currently playing for Vitória in Serie B. He has appeared in 31 matches, scoring 2 goals and 1 assist in 2023. The last most of us heard about Zeca was about a possible betting scandal.

Darwin Ceren

Ceren was one of the hardest working players for the Dynamo, not afraid to get his hands dirty and grind. Darwin returned to El Salvador after his contract with Houston expired. Ceren has appeared in 18 matches for C.D. Aguila and scored 1 goal. Oh, and he has 6 yellow cards in case you were curious.

Sam Junqua 

Junqua was Mr. Versatile during his time with the Dynamo. His exit with the club was a weird one, as a bona fide offer was made to keep him in Houston but Sam decided to decline it and signed with Texas Derby rival, FC Dallas. Junqua has played in 20 games, scoring 2 goals with the team that plays in Frisco.

Adam Lundkvist  

Adam was a favorite for many Dynamo fans, so when the news broke that he had requested to leave before the 2023 season, it was a punch in the guts for the fan base. Lundkvist was traded to Austin FC for a total of $500,000 GAM. The Swede has struggled with Los Verdes, playing in 24 matches in all competitions and assisting 3 goals.

Michael Nelson 

Nelson was the last player to leave the club permanently before the 2023 season. Michael was waived just 2 weeks before the start of the season. He joined Tulsa FC in the USL Championship where he has played in 22 games and has 5 clean sheets. Nelson has been named to multiple Team of the Weeks in 2023.

Juan Castilla

Juan had a very good beginning of the year, playing with the Colombian U-20s in the South American championship and U-20 World Cup. However, he found it difficult to find his place with Houston. The homegrown was transferred to Deportivo Cali a few weeks ago and has yet to make his debut with the Colombian side.

Loaned out

Matias Vera 

Once the captain of the Houston Dynamo, the arrival of Artur saw the end of Vera’s role with the club. He was loaned out to Argentinos Juniors in the Argentina First División. Vera’s time has been very limited with the club, as he has only played in 10 games while making the team sheet in 28 matches. Chances are high that Mati’s time with Houston will come to an end at the end of 2023.

Daniel Rios 

Danny Rios is another homegrown who has not been able to break into the first team, and even struggled to break into Dos if we are being honest. Rios decided to look for an opportunity to play elsewhere and asked to be loaned out to Las Vegas Lights in the USL Championship. Danny has played in 13 games and scored 1 goal this season.

Sebastian Ferreira  

Ferreira went from scoring 13 goals last season to riding the bench under new head coach Ben Olsen. Having a Designated Player sit and lose his value because he didn’t fit the system was hard to see. Sebas was given the opportunity to find his form on a short term loan to the worst team in the Brazilian top flight, Vasco da Gama. Ferrería has already played in 2 matches with the Cruzmaltinos and is still looking for his first goal in 2023.

Let us know in the comments or on Twitter (X) if you’d like us to make this a weekly or monthly feature where we update the latest happenings with these players.