MLS Houston Dynamo FC

Dynamo Sign Two Academy Players from College Ranks

Published on January 19, 2011 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Houston Dynamo FC News Release


HOUSTON, TX (Wednesday, January 19, 2011) -- The Houston Dynamo announced today they have signed midfielder Josue Soto and forward Alex Dixon, both members of the Dynamo Academy, under Major League Soccer's home-grown player rule. Both players have been added to the club's professional roster and were introduced at a press conference Wednesday along with first-round draft picks Kofi Sarkodie and Will Bruin. Per team and league policy, terms of the contracts were not disclosed.

Soto and Dixon become the third and fourth home-grown players in team history, joining goalkeeper Tyler Deric and midfielder Francisco Navas Cobo. More information on the Dynamo Academy, presented by Statoil, is available at HoustonDynamo.com/Academy.

Soto turned 22 on January 3 and recently competed at the 2011 MLS Combine; he becomes the first player in league history to be signed as a home-grown player after completing his collegiate eligibility. The left-footed midfielder was one of the first players to join the Dynamo Academy in January 2007. Born in Fort Worth but raised in Monterrey, Mexico, Soto lived with his brother in Houston while training with the Dynamo. He has also trained with United States youth national teams.

Soto played two years of college soccer at Campbell University in North Carolina and his final two years at SMU in Dallas, where he led the Mustangs to the NCAA quarterfinals in 2010. He trained with the Dynamo first team in the summers of 2008 and 2010, missing 2009 due to injury. At SMU in 2010, Soto was a second team all-Midwest Region and second team all-Conference USA selection while leading the Mustangs with seven assists.

The speedy Dixon, who will turn 21 in February, joins the Dynamo as a professional after playing three years of college soccer at the University of North Carolina, helping the Tar Heels reach the NCAA College Cup each year. He scored in three consecutive games in UNC's run to the 2009 semifinals, and he assisted on UNC's only goal in last year's semifinals.

Dixon, a former Parade and NSCAA High School All-America selection while in the United States U-17 residency program, first joined the Dynamo Academy in late 2007 during his senior year at Atascocita High School in Humble, located northeast of Houston adjacent to Bush Intercontinental Airport. He trained with the Dynamo first team briefly in the summer of 2008 and has scored in all three editions of the Dynamo Academy Showcase, including the most recent match in December.

The Houston Dynamo are a Major League Soccer club that has won two MLS Cup championships in its first five seasons and represented the United States in international competition four consecutive years from 2007-10. For more information, log on to www.HoustonDynamo.com or call (713) 276-7500.

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