Houston Dynamo FC sign Xavier Valdez after acquiring homegrown rights from RBNY, NYCFC

TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Trade, signing

• HOU receive: Xavier Valdez
• RBNY receive: $50,000 in conditional General Allocation Money
• NYC receive: $50,000 in conditional General Allocation Money

Houston Dynamo FC have signed 18-year-old goalkeeper Xavier Valdez to a multi-year homegrown contract after finalizing a trade to acquire his Homegrown Territory exclusivity from the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC, the clubs announced Sunday.

Houston traded $50,000 in conditional General Allocation Money to both the Red Bulls and NYCFC as part of the trade, with both clubs retaining a percentage of a future transfer fee outside of MLS.

Valdez, who was born in Harlem and raised in Yonkers, has been with the Dynamo Academy since July 2020 and previously appeared as a guest player for the Dynamo in the Generation adidas event the club hosted that February.

The 6-foot-6 Valdez has featured as a regular goalkeeper for the Dynamo Academy U-23 team. He has also spent time training with the first team under the direction of goalkeepers coach Zach Thornton.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to sign Xavier to his first professional contract,” Dynamo general manager Pat Onstad said in a release. “Since joining the academy in 2020, Xavier has proven to be a goalkeeper with great potential. Xavier has gotten the chance to train extensively with the Dynamo first team, and has shown that he has what it takes to be a great MLS goalkeeper.”