Interview by Juan Pereira

Photo by Kiyoshi Orellana

Xavier Valdez has experienced a lot in his short career. Whether it has been his first senior appearance with the Dominican Republic national team or becoming a mainstay in Houston Dynamo 2 with the ambition to make the first team, Valdez has turned himself into a leader and an example of what a professional soccer player should act like.

Valdez made his senior debut for the Dominican Republic on the sixth of June last year against Chile at the age of 19. That game also featured his first clean sheet for the senior team.

More recently, Valdez made Houston’s first team bench for the Concacaf Champions Cup, but he didn’t get playing time. Nevertheless, this show of confidence from Ben Olsen proves that Valdez is not far off from getting first team minutes. However, the Dynamo goalkeeper is keeping things simple when it comes to his mentality with the reserve team while he waits for his shot. 

“(I’m) making sure I’m doing everything that I’m doing in games in training (as well),” Valdez said. “(I’m also) trying to be as best of a leader as I can to the younger guys and to influence them towards the right path in the games and off the field as well.” 

It’s ironic how Valdez, considered by many to be one of the best young prospects in the Dynamo system, has had to step up as a leader for the guys who are even younger than him. Despite his youth, Valdez has seen a lot of MLS NEXT Pro action, and he has experienced the highs and lows that come with it. 

To start off this year, Dynamo 2 lost four consecutive games, putting them dead last in the conference. However, they have since gone on to be unbeaten in their last five games, with their most recent victory coming last Wednesday against St. Louis. 

That vital win pushed them up in the league with many games in hand compared to the teams surrounding them. This shift in momentum has been evident for Valdez, who believes that teams that rise from adversity end up becoming feared opponents in the long run. 

“I think it's (all about) trusting the work that you've been doing,” Valdez said. “It was tough (at first), but I always had a feeling that we were going to get better and get connected because I feel like it’s the best teams that don't have the best starts and (yet), (they) keep doing the work and keep grinding together.” 

There is still a long way to go for this Dynamo team to make the playoffs, but this team doesn’t lack self belief, and they're already digging out of the hole that they dug themselves in. 

“We're really one of the best teams in the league,” Valdez said. “And I think we have to keep showing it game by game just because our current points don't really show that we're one of those best teams.”

Maybe that is the key for Xavier Valdez and this Houston Dynamo 2 team; belief in the project and in themselves. If they’re going to make a serious run in the league, they’ll have to believe that they can pull it off. 

“We're coming, we deserve that number one spot, and we're going to work for it,” Valdez said with a grin.