Meet the New Guys: Maximiliano Urruti

Previous Clubs: Newell’s Old Boys (Argentina Primera División), Toronto FC, Portland Timbers, FC Dallas, Club de Foot Montréal

Acquired by: Trade with Club de Foot Montréal (formerly the Montréal Impact) which sent Houston Dynamo FC center back Kiki Struna and a 2021 international roster slot to the Canadian club in exchange for Maximiliano Urruti and a second round pick in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft.

Position: Center Forward, Central Attacking Midfielder

With the departure of Dynamo mainstay Mauro Manotas, Tab Ramos’s side was in need of some depth at the center forward position. Along with a number of attacking players falling out of favor with the manager including Tomás Martínez, Ronaldo Peña, and Michael Salazar and the Dynamo had a few holes to fill this offseason.

The move to send Kiki Struna away became more and more necessary due to a decline in form. When Struna first arrived he impressed with his ability to lead the back line, make crucial tackles, and play make well out of the back. However, a number of poor performances in a row saw Tab Ramos looking down his bench as an alternative to the perennial starter. Moving on from the Slovenian national team defender in exchange for a player to help fill an attacking need made sense for Matt Jordan and the Dynamo front office.

What does he bring to the Dynamo?

Maxi Urruti provides the team with a MLS tested veteran who can challenge for minutes or be a spark off the bench. He’s naturally a center forward, but has occasionally been pushed into the central attacking midfield. For a target player, Urruti has some speed, but his real talent is pouncing on mistakes by the opposition. He’s an opportunistic scorer and can punish teams that check off for a second. Urruti can score in a number of creative and spectacular ways:

There are a few downsides to Urruti’s game and that’s scoring consistency and an ability to check out of games for stretches. He’s not the most physical center forward and isn’t particularly great in the air, but his ability to take advantage of sudden opportunities, score from distance, from tight angles, and through traffic largely outweighs his downsides.

With a lot of newcomers arriving and preseason matches beginning this week we can finally move on from the 2020 season and see how Tab can compete this season. Where players are being played, who wins out for starting jobs, and can we even get good results are all questions that we can see answered shortly.

How do you think Maxi Urruti’s arrival in Houston can help the team out this season? Let us know in the comments below!