Meet the New Guys: Tyler Pasher

Previous Club: Indy Eleven (USL Championship)

Acquired by: Full transfer. Undisclosed fee.

Position: Forward

Houston has always had a good relationship with Canadian players. (Just look at the Houston Dash roster full of Canucks.) The Dynamo have seen great Canadians through out its history such as Dwayne De Rosario, Pat Onstad, and Andre Hainault. This 2021 season, Tyler Pasher will hope to be the next Canadian to add value to an Orange team that was very flat lined offensively after the departure of Alberth Elis. Sure, Tyler maybe a bit of an unknown, however he seems to be hitting the prime of his career, having scored double digit goals in the last two seasons with Indy Eleven. “Tyler is a relentless worker on both sides of the ball, and he fits really well into our game mode” said coach Tab Ramos. “We feel that we added a player who is going to be successful and contribute in the attacking third.”

The Canadian and Ontario native has been much of a nomad, as he found himself playing with a new team every year since the start of his professional career before finding himself in Indy Eleven. Tyler played in both Newcastle United and Toronto FC’s academies before migrating to Finland’s second tier with Kemi City FC (formerly known as Palloseura Kemi Kings.) Eventually, Pasher moved to the States and played with several lower division teams, most notably with Swope Park Rangers (Sporting KC affiliate) and his last team, Indy Eleven.

Internationally, Pasher has been a part of Canada’s U-17 and U-20 teams. He has also been called up to the senior training camps and even made the bench in 2015 for a friendly match against Puerto Rico. Oddly enough, the opportunity came from an injury replacement for Andre Hainault.

What does he bring to the Dynamo?

Pasher, 26, will bring a dynamic style of play to the striker position. He is extremely comfortable playing in the central forward as well as out wide. He has quick feet and is good on the ball, which will keep opposing defenders on their toes. But his best trait and one that Pasher will seek to translate from his USL days to the MLS, is his deadliness to finish opportunities. In a club statement GM Matt Jordan said “His ability to take players on and put up numbers, along with being naturally left-footed, make him a good fit for our group and system.” Pasher only played 15 games with Indy Eleven in 2020 and managed to score 10 goals and assisted on 2 goals.

However, he will have plenty of competition since the Dynamo have added plenty of similar players to the attacking third of the field such as Ariel Lassiter, Mateo Bajamich and Maxi Urruti. The departure of Mauro Manotas has put a question of who will take the natural scoring position.

Where do you see Pasher positionally on the field? Central striker? False number 9? Playing as a versatile winger? Let us know your thoughts.