HOUSTON – Owen Coyle has been open about the fact that the Houston Dynamo would not shy away from adding to their attack, and now he's got the record to prove it.
When presented this week with the the chance to add experience and some creativity in that area, at the price of a promising prospect, the Coyle and the Dynamo did not hesitate. The club on Monday traded for Brazilian jack-of-all-trades Alex, sending third-year forward Jason Johnson to the Chicago Fire in a deal that the Dynamo feel exchanged potential for production in the current moment.
“J.J. as you know is quite youthful; Alex is an experienced player with European experience, so he certainly understands the game and everything involved with it,” Coyle told the media Tuesday. “I think loads of Jason Johnson. He’s a really nice kid, just a good lad, and he just needs to get his career kick-started and his opportunities here were limited. I just felt when the opportunity came it was important to give him an opportunity to turn his career. Alex is the exact same thing.”
Johnson represents potential in every way. A vat of athleticism that has yet to find his footing on the professional level, the forward and club have waited the past two-plus years for the light to come on. The Generation adidas product found sparse time on the pitch and was not a factor in the current rotation.
Instead of waiting on the investment to mature, Houston acquired a piece that, while he may not rock the fan base, has proven he can contribute to an MLS team.
“He’s talented player, a technical player … he’ll have a new lease on life, a freshness, and probably somewhat of what J.J. will feel in Chicago,” Coyle said about his newest acquisition. “There’s no doubt he can contribute to our squad.”
The Brazilian can offer Houston immediate help in a few areas. As they push to integrate a playoff run into their re-imaging, bringing in a skilled veteran who’s scored in the playoffs – against none other than the Dynamo in 2012 – was a move they couldn’t pass up.
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Though often used as a central midfielder in Chicago, Alex is a versatile player who has lined up anywhere from forward to left back in 76 appearances. Coyle said he sees him fitting in on the wing or in the center of the pitch if needed, but he's hesitated to pencil him into one spot.
“What he knows is he comes into a good squad, players, and he’s going to have to come the same as every one of them, and he’s going to have to earn the right to play in the team,” Coyle added. “I had a chat with him yesterday, and he’s excited about it, and that’s the type of players we want at the club. Any player that can pop up in a couple of different areas is going to be important to us. It’s an exciting chance for him and us as we bolster our squad.”
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com.
