A day after announcing a trade for midfielder Adam Moffat, reports surfaced out of Honduras that the Houston Dynamo are closing in on another long sought-after target: Honduran international and Olimpia right winger Oscar Boniek García.
According to Honduran news outlet La Tribuna, the Dynamo have been in negotiations with Olimpia about García’s services and the deal rests on the approval of Olimpia president Rafael Ferrari. The Washington Post also reported on Friday that the Dynamo put a discovery claim on García.
The Dynamo, however, were not prepared to go that far in their acknowledgement of their interest in the World Cup veteran.
“I can’t comment specifically on the status of the negotiations, but he is a player we have been tracking,” Dynamo president of business operations Chris Canetti told MLSsoccer.com on Friday. “He’s a player that we have a keen interest in and has been on our radar for the last several weeks.”
García has played in Houston twice in the past two-and-a-half months. He lined up for Honduras at Robertson Stadium against El Salvador in a May 29 pre-Gold Cup friendly and was one of the more impressive players on the field. He then followed that up with a memorable Gold Cup run in which the 26-year-old started all five matches for the Catratchos — including their extra-time semifinal loss to Mexico at Reliant Stadium on June 22.
While García can play multiple positions, if brought to Houston, he could fill an immediate attacking need, something the club has been adamant about addressing since the offseason.
García is expected to suit up for Olimpia for a friendly against fellow Honduran Primera División rivals Motagua on Saturday in a friendly match in New Orleans. The Tegucigalpa-based club also has a CONCACAF Champions League qualifying series against Mexican club Santos on July 27 and August 3.
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com. Follow him on twitter at @Dynamoexaminer.
