HOUSTON (Jan. 17, 2025) – Houston Dynamo FC signed defender Obafemi Awodesu to a first team contract through the 2025 season with club options in 2026 and 2027, the Club announced today. Awodesu is the sixth Houston Dynamo 2 player to earn a first team contract with Houston.
"We are thrilled to reward Femi with a first team contract following an impressive season with Dynamo 2 last year, and he is another success story from our player development pathway,” President of Soccer Pat Onstad said. “Femi’s competitiveness, leadership and desire to become a professional player at the highest levels after his college career has been impressive. With the help of our second team staff, he has improved his ability to the level that has given us the confidence that he can take the next step and contribute to our group. We look forward to Femi continuing his development with our Club and are excited about his professional future.”
Awodesu signed with the Club’s MLS NEXT Pro team ahead of the 2024 season, where he started all 29 of his appearances, including one postseason match, and tied for most regular season minutes across the league (2,520 minutes). The 23-year-old helped Houston to its third consecutive postseason appearance as a key contributor along the backline, while leading the team with 1,489 passes completed and 41 clearances. Awodesu managed two goals and one assist on the season, scoring his first professional goal versus Tacoma Defiance on May 26 and his second versus in-state rivals Austin FC II on July 11.
Before joining Houston, the center back completed a four-year career at Penn State where he won the Big Ten Championship, Big Ten Tournament, a regular season title in 2021 and split the regular season title with the Indiana Hoosiers in 2023. On the individual front, Awodesu earned multiple accolades, including two Big Ten Defender of the Year honors (2022 and 2023), First team All-Big Ten (2023), Second team All-Big Ten (2022) and Third team All-North Region (2022). He played 65 matches (61 starts) with Penn State, scoring six goals, including three in his senior season.
At the youth level, Awodesu attended YSC Academy and played for the Chargers Academy in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy. The Philadelphia native spent four seasons with the Philadelphia Union Academy prior to his collegiate career and signed a USL Academy contract with the Tampa Bay Rowdies prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Awodesu was a regular participant in first team training last year and was rostered in the opening Concacaf Champions Cup match versus St. Louis CITY SC. The defender also joined the first team for both preseason trips last year and saw action throughout the five preseason games in both Guadalajara, Mexico and Orlando, Florida.
TRANSACTION: Houston Dynamo FC signed defender Obafemi Awodesu to a first team contract through the 2025 season with club options in 2026 and 2027.
