Where we left off last year
2025 season: 37 points, 12th in the Western Conference, 22nd in MLS
In a word, the Dynamo’s 2025 season was bleak. It started that way, too, when star center back Micael’s move to Palmeiras was announced on the day of Houston’s opener. Unarmed with a replacement for their best defender, the Dynamo struggled to keep the ball out of the back of their own net — of course, injuries to the first two goalkeepers on Ben Olsen’s depth chart and the emergency signing of perennial struggler Jonathan Bond sure didn’t help, either.
Leaky in their own half and time in the opposition’s, Houston never truly looked a threat to compete in the mediocre West. That fact has led to one of the busiest offseasons in MLS…
What changed in the offseason
Notable arrivals:
- Mateusz Bogusz, FW: After a failed stint at Cruz Azul, Bogusz is back in MLS but as a Designated Player this time around. The former LAFC breakout star will certainly help raise the Houston Dynamo’s floor with his well-rounded game. But can he be the centerpiece the Dynamo may well need him to be to help them truly compete for a trophy this year? Color me skeptical.
- Guilherme, W: Signed from Santos as a DP, the 30-year-old is past his prime age and has never put up more than 12 goal contributions in any season in a first division league across time in Brazil and Saudi Arabia. Color me skeptical, part two.
- Hector Herrera, CM: He’s back! As it turns out, our last memory of Herrera in Houston won’t have to be of him spitting at a referee in the 2024 MLS postseason. Herrera will be 36 in April and barely saw the field at Toluca, but it’s hard to begrudge the Dynamo for taking a swing. Even jogging towards his late 30s, Herrera’s ball progression will be elite in MLS when he’s on the field.
