Where are they now: Tomas Martinez and Megan Montefusco
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.
Tomas Martinez
The Argentine midfielder was signed by the Houston Dynamo in 2017 as a young designated player from SC Braga. He helped the club make a deep run in the playoffs that year, finishing just short of an MLS Cup appearance. Martinez played in every single game during the team’s US Open Cup run in 2018. The Dynamo lifted the trophy for the first time in club history after beating Philadelphia Union in the final here in Houston. Martinez left the Dynamo after the 2020 season, but not before playing in 98 games and scoring 14 goals.
Martinez became a free agent and in early 2021 was signed by Defensa y Justicia of the Argentine Primera Division where he spent a lone season with El Halcon. The team ended the year in second place with River Plate being crowned champions. Tomas saw very little action that year. At the end of 2022, he once again saw his contract end and signed as a free agent with another Argentine Primera Division club, Aldosivi. His time with Tiburon was somewhat like a horror story, as the club ended up dead last in the table were relegated to the second division. I mention that it was a horror story as the team’s Ultras burned down a few of the players’ automobiles, five cars in total.
Tomas Martinez left Argentina after such a disappointing season and is currently with Melgar in the Peruvian Primera Division. He is in the middle of his second season with El Domino. Martinez has appeared in 47 games and has scored 10 goals; this includes Copa Libertadores fixtures as well as league play.
Megan Montefusco (Oyster)
The American defender was acquired by the Houston Dash in 2020 in a trade with Reign FC along with Shea Groom and a second-round pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft in exchange for Sofia Huerta and Amber Brooks. Megan’s first season with Houston was during the pandemic. The NWSL regular season was cancelled and replaced by the Challenge Cup and Fall Series competitions instead. Oyster quickly earned a starting role at center back. She was a key piece in helping the Dash win their first ever silverware, lifting the Challenge Cup trophy in 2020.
In two seasons with the Houston Dash, Megan appeared in a total of 32 games. At the end of 2021, Oyster got married and become Megan Montefusco. She was on the move once again that offseason, via trade, when Houston sent her to Orlando with allocation money and a third-round pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft in exchange for Marisa Viggiano (now DiGrande). She appeared in 26 games in 2022 and in 19 games in 2023 with Orlando. Unfortunately for Megan, she underwent right foot surgery during the offseason. She was placed on the Season-Ending Injury list by the club in February.
