Alex Lopez no longer DP; Club eyes summer signings

The Houston Dynamo have room for another Designated Player, according to an update of the DP list on MLS' Pressbox website earlier this week. The official list of Designated Players attributes Damarcus Beasley and on-loan Cubo Torres to Houston, while listing Boniek Garcia, Alex Lopez, and 2009 signing Luis Angel Landin as formerly classified DPs.

This update comes after an offseason discussion that revealed Boniek was no longer a DP after Houston completed his transfer fee payment. Alex Lopez, at the time, seemed to keep his DP classification associated with the transfer fee from his former Honduran club, Olimpia. However, it seems that has been completed as well and the club now has breathing room to make a move in the summer, should they see fit.

"There is a slot open," says Houston Dynamo President Chris Canetti. "We are looking at ways to improve the squad and the summer window presents that opportunity. Whether we sign a DP or not is difficult to tell. Is it feasible? Yes, but there are many variables to this, including cap availability. It is hard to fit 3 DP's on a roster under cap."

The current MLS salary cap for the 2015 season, following CBA negotiations, should sit around $3.3 million. Without solid numbers (per league policy), it's difficult to pinpoint the room in the Dynamo's coffers but an incoming Designated Player may require trading players for allocation money or smaller salaries in order to comply with cap regulations.

The current transfer window closes May 6th with the summer window open from July 9th through August 6th. If Houston wants to make a move, DP or not, the summer window provides a great opportunity to bolster a squad with several players likely out for the Gold Cup.