Houston Dynamo finish deal for A.J. DeLaGarza

The Houston Dynamo have acquired defender A.J. DeLaGarza from the LA Galaxy in exchange for $50,000 in Targeted Allocation Money and $125,000 in General Allocation Money.

DeLaGarza won three MLS Cup championships with the Galaxy, two of them wins over the Houston Dynamo. DeLaGarza played in 16 playoff games with 13 starts, including starts in the 2011 and 2014 MLS Cup finals. The defender appeared in 204 games over eight seasons, starting 196 matches and played 17,249 minutes. Last season he played in 24 games for the Galaxy and started in 23.

“A.J. DeLaGarza is an excellent player and an excellent person, and we are really pleased and really excited because we’re bringing a wonderful player that no doubt, is going to important for the Houston Dynamo,” said Dynamo Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera via team release. “He has won championships with the LA Galaxy; he will bring that pedigree, stability, a high level of play and a new energy to the locker room that will make the team better in all aspects.”

Adding DeLaGarza on defense is a big pickup for the team who have struggle on defense.