Houston Dynamo Sign Veteran Forward Vicente Sánchez

The offseason moves continue for the Houston Dynamo as Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera has reunited with the latest signing, Vicente Sánchez. The veteran forward brings experience to the Dynamo’s young core of players as he’s played in several clubs in South America, Mexico, Germany, and in MLS with the Colorado Rapids.

Although born in Uruguay, Sánchez holds a green card and will not count as an international player. Sánchez will compete for minutes alongside forwards Mauro Manotas, Erick Torres, Andrew Wenger, Romell Quioto, and Alberth Elis. Donning the number 10 kit, Sánchez’s own playing style isn’t of a true 10, but he is capable of playing across the front line in a hold up forward role or as a complementary striker on either side of the field. He’s gifted at creating space with the ball and scoring from difficult angles. He can cut the ball sharply to give himself enough separation from defenders and put the ball in the net. The downside about this move is of course his age. He’s moved around and isn’t the player that he was in his prime while playing with Toluca in Liga MX. At 37 years old, it’s fair to say his best soccer is behind him, but he could still find ways to contribute likely in an off the bench role.

Ultimately this move is about getting a known product (Cabrera was an assistant coach with the Rapids when Sánchez was there) and providing experience and leadership for the young players. Sánchez likely won’t command too much playing time, but his versatility in several forward positions along with his technical skills should see him featured.

Here’s a video of some of Sánchez’s best goals while playing with Toluca. He won’t be quite this good anymore, but he’ll be able to put on a show from time to time.