The Houston Dynamo made their first move of the summer transfer window on Friday, picking up midfielder Eric Alexander from the Montreal Impact in exchange for general and targeted allocation money.
Dynamo VP/General Manager Matt Jordan was bullish about the 28-year-old adding more MLS-starting quality to a midfield that recently lost a pair of contributors.
“Eric brings a lot of quality to our team, and we especially like his ability to effectively transition the ball from the middle third of the field into the attack. He’s a confirmed player in this league with a proven track record,” Jordan told HoustonDynamo.com. “With us mutually parting ways with David Rocha and not coming to terms with Independiente on a permanent transfer for Leonel [Miranda]—with those two players leaving we felt that it was important to add another versatile midfielder that’s in the prime of his career.”
An eight-year veteran of MLS, Alexander played in all 34 regular season matches for the 2013 Supporters’ Shield winners New York Red Bulls. In the last year and a half with the Montreal Impact the midfielder has played 32 games, including 12 starts in 2016 as Montreal has moved into an Eastern Conference playoff spot. Alexander’s ability to play multiple positions across the midfield made him an ideal candidate to come into the team and challenge for playing time during the second half of the season.
“He can play a variety of positions based on the formation,” Jordan said. “He can play higher up in the midfield, he can play deeper in the midfield. He played 34 games [in 2013], and during that season he demonstrated that he can be effective from the wide areas when the New York Red Bulls won the Supporters Shield.”
Jordan was clear that every signing is expected to come into the team and make his case for playing time and push the existing players in the team, and he expects the same from Alexander as he joins the squad.
“We’re are big believers that strong competition within the group is how a player not only gets the most out of himself, but more importantly how the team will find success. This is important for us as club as we enter the second half of the season.”
