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It's been a fairly eventful offseason thus far for the Houston Dynamo. They traded for a playmaker in Cristian Maidana, dealt longtime star Brad Davis, acquired significant defensive depth, added to their youth ranks with signings of Bradley Bourgeois and Calle Brown, and signed two Spanish league veterans; they even gained a new majority owner.
All these moves were in a concerted effort to compile a roster good enough to qualify for the MLS postseason, something they haven't done since 2013. Now the question emerges, Have they done enough to meet their goal?
To answer this question, we have to examine how they improved the squad after a relatively disappointing 2015 campaign. Here are some of the notable moves they made:
- Acquisitions of Maidana and Andrew Wenger from the Philadelphia Union: This trade was analyzed more in-depth previously, but the gist of it was that the Dynamo needed a chance creator who can distribute to the attacking corps and find space in the midfield, and they got it with Maidana. They were forced to give up a high draft pick, but it was worth it. Wenger, a former number-one overall pick with the Montreal Impact, can provide depth and has looked solid in the preseason.
- Signings of defenders Jalil Anibaba, Sebastien Ibeagha, Agus and midfielder David Rocha: Let's start with Anibaba: he was signed from Sporting KC on January 11 and will primarily play center-back, although he was played as a right-back in Kansas City last season. Ibeagha arrives from Denmark and was formerly a member of the Dynamo academy. He, along with Agus, will play in central defense. They will provide plenty of depth at the position after A.J. Cochran and Jermaine Taylor left in December. Rocha, signed from the Spanish second-tier with Agus, will play central midfield.
- Davis traded to Sporting KC: This was a good decision. Davis, although a club legend, is 34, and the Dynamo needed to add some youth to the roster. This move allows them to do that.