Houston Dynamo midseason player ratings

(image via Houston Dynamo FC)

We are at the mid-way point of the MLS season. It’s time to see how everyone in the squad has performed this season so far. (This is based off average ratings from our weekly player ratings. Appearances where a player failed to play over fifteen minutes do not count towards these averages).

Goalkeepers

Jimmy Maurer-2 Appearances (1 start) 6.5 avg rating

Maurer has been what we expected him to be, a solid back up goalkeeper; nothing more and nothing less. He did fine in his two appearances and we don’t expect to see him again unless Bond picks up an injury.

Andrew Tarbell-4 Appearances (4 starts) 6.13 avg rating

Andrew was off to a bit of a rough start in the season against Dallas and Miami. Then as soon as he had some good games, he got a season ending knee injury. It’s a shame with how much the front office and coaching staff raved about him all offseason. We’re wishing him a speedy recovery.

Blake Gillingham-4 Appearances (3 starts) 7.25 avg rating

If you told me I would be writing about four different starting goalkeepers at the halfway point of the season before the first game kicked off, I would’ve called you insane. Blake was the third choice keeper and did a more than fine job when called upon. He’s clearly not a starter, but the staff must be very pleased with this signing.

Jonathan Bond-10 Appearances (10 starts) 6.6 avg rating

Bond has arrived to solidify the starting goalkeeper job, and he has done a fine job of that. He has yet to be a spectacular player, but has been solid all year. His best days in orange are yet to come.

Defenders

Franco Escobar-16 Appearances (12 starts) 7.61 avg rating (4x MOTM)

Franco Escobar has arguably been the player of season so far, despite the odd benching in the last two matches which both blew up in Ben Olsen’s face. He has been nothing short of spectacular and has proven to be one of the best two-way players in MLS.

Ethan Bartlow-12 Appearances (7 starts) 6.01 avg rating (1x MOTM)

This has been a bizarre season for Bartlow as we would have expected him to be the guy to get all the minutes with Erik Sviatchenko’s injuries but it has been Femi Awodesu instead. This means Bartlow is under some real pressure to step up if he wants to stay in Houston next season. He did have one spectacular game against Columbus earlier in the season which earned him a man of the match award.

Daniel Steres-8 Appearances (3 starts) 6.33 avg rating

Steres has been his usual solid self. He has never been a special player but gets the job done when called upon. He has been a little weaker then last year, but that could also do with the injury struggles he has had so far.

Pablo Ortiz-7 Appearances (5 starts) 5.33 avg rating

Pablo has come in as a new signing and has yet to hit the ground running after a month with the team. Coming into the team without a preseason and thrown right into the mix of an insanely busy May period could be a major reason for his poor performance so far. Still, there is plenty to be excited about with Pablo the rest of the season.

Michael Halliday-0 Appearances (0 starts) 0 avg rating

Michael Halliday has been a waste of a signing so far, not even making one competitive appearance. He has looked ok to really good with the second team, but we should be seeing more from him at this point in his career, especially with all the defensive injuries we have seen so far.

Obafemi Awodesu-17 Appearances (17 starts) 5.5 avg rating

Femi is one of the oddest players in this squad currently. There have been times where he has looked like the worst defender in USL, while at other times he has been a rock in this backline. He has yet to put together three consistent good or bad games this season. You just never know what you are going to get. I feel bad for him for being thrown into the fire like he was but also not because he isn’t really that young of a player. He has proven he belongs on this roster but shouldn’t be the starter when Erik Sviatchenko is healthy again.

Griffin Dorsey-18 Appearances (17 starts) 7.17 avg rating

Griffin has been one of the best players for the Dynamo this season, playing both sides of the ball at a very high level. He has been at least dangerous in every game even when the end product isn’t there. He is both a fan and coaching staff favorite and should continue to be for the rest of the season.

Erik Sviatchenko-8 Appearances (6 starts) 6.93 avg rating

Erik has yet to be fully healthy this season and that is probably the biggest reason for where the Dynamo are in the standings. This injury almost proves why he is the most valuable player to this squad. It is no surprise that they did not win a game until he was 90 minutes fit for the LAFC game. They desperately need him and we are all hoping he can be healthy to make a real playoff push.

Felipe Andrade-7 Appearances (5 starts) 5.79 avg rating (1x MOTM)

Felipe started his Dynamo career very well, scoring goals in the Open Cup and MLS. He has been very poor since his initial hot streak. He was toasted against San Jose, Sporting Kansas City, and Montreal this past week. He has some nice potential but shouldn’t be a main factor the rest of the season.

Midfielders

Sebastian Rodriguez-0 Appearances (0 starts) 0 avg rating

Sebastian still hasn’t seen any senior minutes and likely won’t for the rest of 2025. He has been very good for the second team this year.

Artur-18 Appearances (17 starts) 6.42 avg rating

Another huge reason the Dynamo are struggling is because Artur’s form has fallen off a cliff this season. He has been nowhere near the player he was in the last two seasons. He has also been incredibly disappointing as a captain on the field as well. It just has not been good enough.

Amine Bassi-17 Appearances (16 starts) 6.53 avg rating

Meh is the best word to describe Bassi so far this season. He has just been alright for most of the season, outside of a few good stretches. He was asked to score more goals this year and he hasn’t really done that, which led to them bringing in Lingr, a more forward thinking midfielder.

Duane Holmes-3 Appearances (0 starts) 0 avg rating

Duane is just coming back from a major injury and he hasn’t played long enough in any game to warrant a rating just yet. We’re expecting big things from Duane as he is a very high-quality player.

Erik Duenas-6 Appearances (1 start) 6.25 avg rating

Erik has yet to look like he should be a starter on this team in his limited minutes. He looked fairly good against NYCFC in his first start with the team. He looked very poor in the Open Cup games where he should have really impressed the coaching staff.

Jack McGlynn-16 Appearances (16 starts) 7.59 avg rating (1x MOTM)

Jack has been nothing short of fantastic so far in a Dynamo jersey. He has done it all in terms of scoring and creating for this team. He will be incredibly missed while with the United States Men’s National Team and maybe permanently with a strong showing in the Gold Cup.

Nicolas Lodeiro-14 Appearances (5 starts) 6.45 avg rating

Almost every time Lodeiro started a game he has looked horrible. He has been a solid edition to take set pieces off the bench, however. He looked really really good against Montreal this last weekend. More of that please.

Junior Urso-11 Appearances (5 starts) 6.81 avg rating

Junior Urso has been a very good signing for what it’s worth. He wasn’t expected to be a key player and he’s played his role in the team very well. He has filled in for Brooklyn or Jack on multiple occasions and has put in a good shift. A really solid player.

Brooklyn Raines-11 Appearances (9 starts) 7.03 avg rating

Brooklyn has been a pleasant surprise this season, finally breaking out into a starter. It looked like his breakout year was not coming anytime soon with the signing of McGlynn; however Jack has been pushed higher up the field with a spot in midfield opening up for Brooklyn. His work ethic has been wonderful, but he still lacks any bite on the ball and he has no end product whatsoever. He still has plenty of room to grow.

Forwards

Nelson Quinones- 0 Appearances (0 starts) 0 avg rating

Nelson has still yet to play, coming off of that nasty knee injury in early 2024. It might still be some time before we see him in action. 

Ondrej Lingr-10 Appearances (8 starts) 6.65 avg rating

Lingr is the Dynamo’s newest DP signing and he has been good so far. He hasn’t been special yet, but he has scored some important goals and looks like a very good player. We’re very excited for what is to come.

Ezequiel Ponce- 16 Appearances (16 starts) 5.84 avg rating

He just simply has not been good enough this season. He has not had a ton of chances so his poor play isn’t entirely on him. We need to see more from Ponce as the season goes on before we start to worry about his place in this team.

Lawrence Ennali-2 Appearances (0 starts) 5.5 avg rating

Lawrence is only just coming back from an ACL injury. He has yet to play much but we are all excited for what feels like a new signing.

Toyosi Olusanya (4 Appearances (0 starts) 7 avg rating

I still don’t really understand this signing. He came in and hasn’t really played yet and doesn’t really fit in with what this team does in possession. There is still plenty of time to prove his worth.

Gabe Segal-6 Appearances (1 start) 9 avg rating

Yes, Segal has a 9 for his average rating and that is because he has only played enough minutes once, and he scored two goals. He really is not a great player and has struggled to find a place on this roster. He played really well against NYCFC so let’s see how he can build on a very good game.

Stephen Annor-0 Appearances (0 starts) 0 avg rating

I don’t see Gyamfi being on this roster very long as he doesn’t play for the senior team or even look good on the second team.

Sebastian Kowalczyk-17 Appearances (12 starts) 6.24 avg rating

I think we all know who Kowalczyk is at this point of his Dynamo career. He is a solid squad player who puts in a shift and gives great energy. He is still nothing special. That is what he has been for three seasons now and that is what he will be the rest of this one. I like him but still don’t love him.

Exon Arzu-0 Appearances (0 starts) 0 avg rating

Exon has been ok for the second team and does not look close to making that leap to the first team any time soon.

Head Coach

Ben Olsen-7.11 avg rating

You have to feel bad for Ben this year with all the starters he has lost due to transfers and injuries. He has done well given the circumstances. There are other clubs and head coaches that would be sitting rock bottom of their conferences in Ben’s shoes. You have to give Ben the benefit of the doubt that he can turn this around this year or that he will do it next year given a full offseason with these new players.