RGVFC

Houston Dynamo sign midfielder Eric Bird from RGV FC

HOU_062817_Bird

The Houston Dynamo signed midfielder Eric Bird to a first-team contract, the club announced today. Bird played with Dynamo’s USL team, RGV FC, for the last two years.


Bird finished his second season with RGV having played in 29 games and scoring four goals with three assists. The year before, he played in 22 games, scoring six goals and dishing one assist for the Toros. Prior to signing with RGV FC, the 24-year-old was drafted by the Philadelphia Union in the second round of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft and played on loan with the Harrisburg City Islanders.


The Virginia Beach, Virginia native played for the University of Virginia from 2011-14, serving as team captain as a junior and a senior, and helped lead the Cavaliers to the national championship in his senior season. Bird joins the Dynamo first team after signing a short-term agreement with the club earlier in the summer to compete in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Bird started both games of the Open Cup for the Dynamo.


The hybrid relationship between the Dynamo and RGV FC in which the Dynamo control all aspects of soccer operations, including employment of the technical staff and player selection, while RGV FC manages the business side of the club, was unique in MLS when RGV FC was launched in 2016 and has quickly been emulated by multiple MLS clubs over the past year.


With the addition of Bird, the Dynamo now have 20 players under contract for the 2018 season.


HOUSTON DYNAMO PLAYERS CURRENTLY UNDER CONTRACT

GOALKEEPERS (1)
No. PlayerPos.MLS Exp.AgeHt.Wt.FIFA Nationality
Chris SeitzGK11306-3236USA
DEFENDERS (5)
No. PlayerPos.MLS Exp.AgeHt.Wt.FIFA Nationality
3Adolfo MachadoDF1316-0160Panama
4Philippe SenderosDF1326-2181Switzerland
15Dylan RemickDF5266-0165USA
16Kevin GarciaDF1266-0185USA
21George MalkiDF1245-10160USA
22LeonardoDF8296-2185Brazil
MIDFIELDERS (5)
No. PlayerPos.MLS Exp.AgeHt.Wt.FIFA Nationality
5Juan David CabezasMF1256-0175Colombia
6Eric AlexanderMF8296-1165USA
18Memo RodriguezMF1215-8145USA
25Tomás MartínezMF1225-9145Argentina
27Boniek GarcíaMF6335-9150Honduras
28Charlie WardMF1225-8168England
Arturo ÁlvarezMF12325-9170El Salvador
Eric BirdMF1245-9174USA
FORWARDS (5)
No. PlayerPos.MLS Exp.AgeHt.Wt.FIFA Nationality
9Erick TorresFW5245-11168Mexico
11Andrew WengerMF6266-0185USA
12Romell QuiotoFW1255-11170Honduras
17Alberth ElisFW1206-0165Honduras
19Mauro ManotasFW3226-0155Colombia


TRANSACTIONS: Houston Dynamo sign MF Eric Bird from Rio Grande Valley FC.