The Dynamo selected two players and signed a third after making three trades.
The Houston Dynamo added three players to the club during a busy day at the MLS SuperDraft. Forwards Isaiah Reid and Frantz Pierrot were selected in the draft and midfielder Charles Auguste was signed after clearing waivers. Houston also added $375,000 in General Allocation Money after making three trades.
The Dynamo originally had the fifth pick in the first round but ended up sending that pick to the Vancouver Whitecaps in exchange for $125,000 in 2023 GAM, 100,000 in 2024 GAM and the 13th overall pick. Houston then sent the 13th pick to Austin FC for $50,000 in 2023 GAM, $50,000 in 2024 GAM and the 27th overall pick. Just when you thought Pat Onstad and company would make a pick in the first round, they sent that 27th pick to the Columbus Crew for another $50,000 in GAM.
The Dynamo now have an additional $475,000 GAM in 2023 and $450,000 GAM in 2024 from the trades yesterday and the ones that sent Fafa Picault and Tim Parker out of town. General Allocation Money can be used in several ways, including: to reduce the amount a non-Designated Player costs against the salary cap, down to the league minimum; to reduce the amount a Designated Player costs against the salary cap, down to $150,000; to sign players new to MLS; to re-sign an existing MLS player; to offset loan or transfer fees; to extend a player’s contract; or to trade to other teams. We will find out soon enough what the Dynamo plan on doing with their new found pile of loot (like adding a certain attacking player from Paraguay).
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After all of that wheeling and dealing, the Dynamo did end up with three players on draft day. Houston used their picks in the second and third rounds to pick forwards Isaiah Reid and Frantz Pierrot. Reid won the 2021 National Championship with Clemson, scoring a brace in the final, and finished his career with the Tigers with 14 goals and 4 assists. Pierrot played at the University of Connecticut, scoring 5 goals and adding 2 assists. He transferred to the Huskies after playing at Merrimack College where he tallied 13 goals in 21 games.
The third player the Dynamo added on Wednesday was former Creighton University midfielder Charles Auguste. The Canadian native cleared waivers and was available to be signed on a first-come, first-served basis. Auguste captained the Bluejays to the Final Four of the College Cup this season, scoring 9 goals and tallying 3 assists in 63 appearances. The midfielder has represented Haiti internationally at the U-20 level.
There are more moves to come for the Dynamo this offseason, especially with all that GAM sitting around. Reid and Pierrot are almost certainly destined for Dynamo 2 while Auguste could be as well. These moves are for down the road, but there are more moves to be made at the first team level to get this team competitive. When do those moves get made and what will they be? We’ll keep you updated as this offseason plays out.