Before he became the newest member of Atlanta United, Jurgen Damm was almost swooped up by the Houston Dynamo.
It was the Dynamo, not Atlanta, who actually held Damm's discovery rights, giving them the option to negotiate with the player about a potential move to MLS. In the end, though, the Dynamo sold those rights to Atlanta for $50,000 in General Allocation Money, clearing the way for the Five Stripes to complete a transfer for the talented 27-year-old Mexico international from Tigres UANL of Liga MX.
So, why did the Dynamo pass? General manager Matt Jordan joined the Soccer Matters Podcast with host Glenn Davis and was asked exactly that, saying that while the club tracked Damm for a long time and strongly considered signing him, they ultimately decided that he wasn't quite the right fit.
"We've been tracking Jurgen Damm for a while and seriously looked at his situation and really when we went through it as a technical staff, myself, Tab [Ramos], the coaching staff, we just felt it wasn't the right fit," Jordan told Davis. "Anytime you're looking at a player, there's a lot that goes into it. It's not like, 'Ok, hey, let's just add this player tomorrow.' You're going through positional profiles, you're going through [key performance indicators] with your scouting department, you're watching a player live and making sure they're a good fit.
"Jurgen's a good player, he's a good person, I've met with him in person and we just made the decision that it wasn't the best fit for us at this time, and that was a collective decision, not just me, but as a group. We definitely wish him well, but we seriously looked at him, so I hope that gives you a little background in this situation."
