HOUSTON (Thursday, Dec. 14, 2023) - Houston Dynamo FC captain Héctor Herrera was named the team’s Most Valuable Player, and his teammates selected him as the Player’s Player of the Year. Both awards are part of the annual End of Year award slate that features honors for five players.
This was Herrera’s first full season with the team, and he tallied 20 assists in all competitions for the Dynamo. The captain was key to Houston’s resurgent season and led the team to the 2023 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup trophy and a 9-2 record in elimination games. Herrera was also recognized at the national level earlier this fall when he was named to the MLS Best XI and he represented Houston at the 2023 MLS All-Star Game. The Mexican international was also named to the MLSSoccer.com Team of the Matchday eight times this year.
Forward Amine Bassi earned the Golden Boot Award after finishing with 15 goals in all competitions. The 25-year-old also led the team with 10 goals in league play. This was Bassi’s first season with the team, and he is one of 17 new players to join the Dynamo for the 2023 season.
Goalkeeper Steve Clark was selected as the Defender of the Year following a career season. The shot stopper earned 12 clean sheets to tie the single-season club record and finished with the second-best total in MLS this season.
Midfielder Artur was named the Newcomer of the Year, as he led the team in minutes, appearances and games played in 2023. The 27-year-old played 3,723 minutes across 47 matches (43 starts) in his first year for the Dynamo.
Forward Nelson Quiñónes was selected as the Young Player of the Year after cementing a starting role in his second season with the Dynamo. The forward scored five goals and tallied four assists in all competitions for Houston. Two of Quiñónes’ goals came in the opening three minutes of a game, the fastest goal scored by a player this season.
New for 2023, Dynamo fans can select the Fan Favorite award on X later today. Fans can select Herrera, Bassi, Erik Sviatchenko or Griffin Dorsey as their favorite player for the season. The candidates were selected by local media, who also voted on the winners mentioned above.
