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Previous club: Montreal Impact (MLS)
How acquired: Via trade, for Romell Quioto and $100,000 in allocation money.
Position: Defender
In attempt to fortify the defensive line the Houston Dynamo, which in the last few years seemed to be lacking stability and experience in the back line, traded Romell Quioto to the Montreal Impact for Victor Cabrera and $100,000 in Allocation Money.
The Argentinian from the northern province of Tucuman, made his way up the ranks in the historical River Plate of Buenos Aires. Coming out of River’s academy he made his professional debut in 2013, but after not getting much playing time in the first team he was loaned out to Montreal in 2015. After a great season with the Impact where he was a vital piece that helped them reach the 2015 CONCACAF Champions League final, he was signed permanently in 2016 and helped the Impact reach the Eastern Conference final where they lost to Toronto FC in extra time. Victor also helped the Impact win the 2019 Canadian Championship against Toronto FC.
Unfortunately for Cabrera from 2017 to 2019 he has been plagued with injuries in the knee, leg, and even an elbow injury which has not allowed him to have a consistent amount of minutes in the pitch.
He ended his time with the Montreal Impact with 82 starts in 93 appearances.
What does he bring to the Dynamo
The 26 years old Cabrera is coming in to a Houston Dynamo side where last season we have seen a very solid and experienced pair of center backs in Aljaz “Kiki” Struna and Maynor Figueroa. The Dynamo also have Alejandro Fuenmayor who will compete for that same position.
General Manager Matt Jordan had this to say about Cabrera and this situation, “We are very pleased to welcome Victor Cabrera to the Houston Dynamo. He is a hard-nosed defender who brings a highly competitive mentality to the field every day”. “He has adapted well to MLS over the last five years and has experience on big stages, including playoff and championship games. We’re excited to add a player in the prime of his career who will immediately compete for minutes on our back line.”
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The fight for the center back position will be a tough one for the guys, but I think as Dynamo fans we can have some peace of mind that three of the guys competing are experienced players with plenty of years under their belt and are not going to be afraid to face forwards like Vela, Josef Martinez or even possibly “Chicharito”. Also don’t forget that Cabrera is only 26 and Fuenmayor is only 23 so maybe Matt Jordan and Tab Ramos are looking towards the future with the possibility of these young guys to be the next generation of center backs for a strong cornerstone defensive line moving forward.We will have to wait and see what the future holds.
So, knowing all this, it begs the questions:
Who do you think will be the starting center backs? Could Cabrera bring all that playoff experience and help the Dynamo make it to the playoffs this year? How would you build your back line for this season?