Forward Joseph Ngwenya has been ruled eligible to join the Dynamo by world governing body FIFA, Dynamo Chief Operating Officer Chris Canetti confirmed Thursday morning. The ruling ends a five-week wait for the Dynamo after Ngwenya's last club, Turkish side Antalyaspor, denied Houston's request for Ngwenya's international transfer certificate. Ngwenya will be available for selection for Houston's game against D.C. United this Saturday at Robertson Stadium.
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Ngwenya and the Dynamo agreed to terms on April 13 after a week-long trial, but his availability was held up by Antalyaspor's denial of the ITC request and the Dynamo's appeal to FIFA.
Capped five times for Zimbabwe during qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Ngwenya scored nine goals in 33 games in all competitions for the Dynamo in 2007 and tied for the team lead with seven goals in 25 regular-season games that year. He has been training with the club for more than a month.
Ngwenya's availability means the Dynamo could go from having one healthy forward against Real Salt Lake on May 13 to having four forwards available against D.C. United, with Luis Landin and Cam Weaver possibly able to return from injury on Saturday. All-time leading scorer Brian Ching is currently in camp with the United States national team.
