HOUSTON – The Houston Dynamo created a buzz by signing a big name in Colombian attacker Darwin Quintero, and for a team that has not made huge splashes, the player is ready to make a big impression.
Acquired in a trade from Minnesota United on Nov. 13, Quintero scored 21 goals and 20 assists in 57 league appearances across two seasons for the Loons, and after falling out of favor there the 32-year-old will look to bring the excitement and production to Houston.
During his introductory press conference at BBVA Stadium on Wednesday, Quintero said he was excited to get on the field and thank Houston for the warm welcome with his actions on the pitch and help the team make the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs in 2020.
“I am very happy, because I know that they made a pretty big effort for me to come and now I have to return that on the playing field, working in the best way I can so that we can achieve the goals we set at the beginning of the season," said Quintero during his opening statement.
Although he hasn’t had an opportunity to meet all his teammates, he does have a friendship already with Dynamo striker Christian Ramirez, who he played with in Minnesota. Ramirez has told Quintero that Houston is a great city and that the team has potential for great things, which also reinforced the Colombian's decision to accept the offer to move to the Dynamo.
When asked why he chose to stay in the MLS, Quintero said he still had a lot to show within the league, that there is more of him to come, that Houston was his priority and even joked that his wife played a major role in the decision because she wanted to move to Houston.
“I have played [in Houston] several times on the opposite side and have seen how encouraging the fans are and how they are always pushing the team to go forward and the confidence that the coaching staff has placed in me is supremely important for me to come and want to do things right,” Quintero said.
The Dynamo’s new head coach Tab Ramos also played a role in Quintero's acquisition, as Ramos said he had Quintero on his personal “want list” and so did the Dynamo staff, making the decision so much easier to add a marquee player.
Ramos noted Quintero has a set of skills not easy to find within Major League Soccer, and he is confident Quintero will be a game-changer for Los Naranja.
“We believe that he is a player that can make a difference, he is rare in the league because in general, there are a number of players that can keep possession and control of the ball, but not many players who can make plays to win matches, to make goals, to make assists, to give the pass that creates goal plays and I think Darwin has that quality and for us I think we could not have found another player with the same qualities within the MLS,” said Ramos.
Quintero will sport No. 23 on the pitch, but Ramos gave little information on where he would place Darwin on the field and how he would fit alongside the other attacking pieces in the lineup. The head coach did say that having several talented players is a good problem to have, but that only time will tell how the final roster will look like.
