Written by Juan Pereira

Photo by Houston Dynamo FC

Per Tom Bogert, Houston has sold Brazilian standout Micael to Palmeiras for a club record transfer fee. Sources confirmed to me that the price tag is over $5 million with a sell-on clause. This was a good bit of business for the Dynamo after buying him for a much lower price. The Dynamo have reportedly made over $8.5 million in transfer revenue this window, showcasing their ability to develop players into hot talents that international teams envy.

With Felipe Andrade signing soon with the Dynamo, Houston will probably not go scouring the CB market and will rather play with what they have. Even without Micael’s ball-playing ability, Houston still has one of the best backlines in the league with Erik Sviatchenko, Ethan Bartlow, Griffin Dorsey, and Franco Escobar.

However, this move will also make some Dynamo fans anxious with yet another key piece of the 2023 U.S. Open Cup winning team leaving to another big club. Everyone will be awaiting news regarding a DP 10, which would revitalize an offense that was struggling to score goals in 2024, with Ezequiel Ponce and Ibrahim Aliyu sharing the top-scorer spot with six goals each.

If any conclusion can be made from this move, it’s that Houston is reshaping their business approach to players, with an objective to raise player values then selling at a fair price, while retooling with Dynamo 2 talents and others. Only time will tell if this strategy will bring profit and trophies to Houston.