TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
Houston Dynamo FC have signed forward Thiago on a year-long loan from Brazilian Serie A side Flamengo with a purchase option, the club announced Monday.
The 21-year-old joins Houston via the league’s U22 Initiative. Thiago has made 60 appearances across all competitions while playing in Brazil, helping lead Clube Náutico Capibaribe to Serie B promotion as a teenager prior to his transfer to Flamengo in 2019.
“Thiago is an exciting young talent joining us from one of the biggest clubs in the world. We anticipate that he will compete for minutes this season with the hope of earning a permanent spot with our club next year,” Dynamo general manager Pat Onstad said in a release.
“The city of Houston already attracts some of the most talented people in the Hemisphere to our world-class energy, medical, and aerospace industries, and our club’s recruitment efforts are no different. We want to be the preferred gateway for high potential players from North, Central and South America and help them realize their dreams of playing at the highest levels.”
The winger joins the likes of Fafa Picault, Corey Baird and Tyler Pasher in competition for minutes under head coach Paulo Nagamura.
“The club is excited to welcome Thiago and add a player of his quality to our roster. He is a high-potential player that can change a game with his approach and determination in the final third,” Nagamura said in a release. “We look to furthering his development here in Houston and showcase what our club is doing for players like him to maximize their potential.”
The forward, whose full name is Thiago Fernandes Rodrigues, joins a transition period for Houston after they acquired the likes of Brazilian fullback Zeca, Paraguayan forward Sebastian Ferreira and Mexican midfielder Hector Herrera, who arrives this summer from La Liga’s Atletico Madrid.
