TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
UPDATE (Jan. 12) – Houston Dynamo FC have formally signed defender Franco Escobar as a free agent, the club announced Thursday.
The 27-year-old Argentine right back’s deal runs through the 2024 MLS season with a club option for 2025. Escobar is Houston’s fifth senior roster addition this offseason.
Escobar, after previous stops at Atlanta United and LAFC, is approaching 100 total matches in MLS. He first entered the league in 2018 after playing for Newell's Old Boys in his home country.
“Franco is a winner in our league. Since coming to MLS in 2018, he has won every major domestic trophy available, including two MLS Cups, a Supporters’ Shield, Campeones Cup, and the US Open Cup,” Dynamo general manager Pat Onstad said in a press release.
“He will strengthen our backline and provide valuable experience to our locker room. We are thrilled that Franco chose Houston in the next step in his career.”
ORIGINAL (Jan. 8) – Houston Dynamo FC are finalizing a deal to sign free-agent defender Franco Escobar, sources confirmed to MLSsoccer.com.
A two-time Major League Soccer champion, most recently as part of LAFC's MLS Cup-Supporters' Shield double-winning side in 2022, the 27-year-old Argentine is a proven veteran who also helped Atlanta United capture the league title in 2018, his debut season in the league.
Escobar offers Houston defensive versatility as a right back, one who's also capable of playing as a right-sided center back in a back-three formation.
The Rosario native would be the seventh offseason signing by the Dynamo, who head into the 2023 campaign with newly-hired head coach Ben Olsen at the helm. Looking for their first Audi MLS Cup Playoffs berth since 2017, the club has been particularly active in recent days, announcing the arrivals of veteran left back Brad Smith (free agency) and Paraguayan forward Iván Franco (loan from Club Libertad).
Escobar, who joined Atlanta from childhood club Newell's Old Boys, has six goals and seven assists over 91 regular-season and playoff games. He famously scored the second and definitive goal in the Five Stripes' 2-0 win over the Portland Timbers in MLS Cup 2018.
Escobar was traded to LAFC before the 2022 campaign, tallying one goal in 20 total appearances during his lone season with the Black & Gold. Houston would be his third MLS club.
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