The Houston Dynamo have acquired Honduran international Alberth Elis from CF Monterrey, the club announced today.
The forward will join Houston as a Young Designated Player on a 12-month loan from the Liga MX side pending the receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate at the opening of the winter transfer window. The Dynamo have the option to purchase Elis’ contract at the conclusion of the loan period. He becomes the second Young Designated Player on the Dynamo roster, joining forward Mauro Manotas.
“We are pleased to welcome Alberth Elis to the Houston Dynamo. He’s been a target of ours for quite some time as one of the most dynamic, up-and-coming attacking talents in CONCACAF whose best soccer is still ahead of him,” said Dynamo Vice President and General Manager Matt Jordan. “He’s demonstrated his quality in the Olympics this past summer and is already a full International at just 20 years old. We look forward to helping him get integrated into our group as soon as possible in preparation for the 2017 season.”
The 20-year-old has scored three goals in 15 appearances with the Honduran national team since making his debut as an 18-year-old in 2014. Elis won the Golden Boot at the 2015 CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship with four goals, including a brace against the United States in the semifinal to help Honduras qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Honduras advanced to the bronze medal game and Elis finished the tournament with two goals.
“I have had the opportunity to follow Alberth for the past three years within CONCACAF tournaments, with the under-20 national team for Honduras, in the pre-Olympic tournament where he was the top scorer, and with his national team and his club team,” said Dynamo head coach Wilmer Cabrera. “He’s a very fast, agile forward; and he can play on the left side, as a center forward or on the right side. We’re bringing in a forward who’s very young, but has a lot of talent, a lot of speed, and he’s hungry for the possibility that he has in Houston and in MLS.”
A native of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Elis joined Monterrey from Honduran club C.D. Olimpia on August 25, 2016 and appeared in five games. During his time with Olimpia, he scored 25 goals in 62 appearances over three years, helping the club win the Liga Nacional Clausura (spring) championship in 2014 and 2015. Elis was named the Best Young Player in the most recent edition of the CONCACAF Champions League after he scored two goals in four appearances for Olimpia.
Olimpia is the same club that produced Dynamo midfielders Boniek García and José Escalante, as well as former Dynamo midfielder Luis Garrido and forward Carlo Costly.
With the addition of Elis, the Houston Dynamo now have 17 players under contract. The forward is the fifth player to occupy an international roster spot for the Dynamo, joining defender Agus, midfielder Alex, and forwards Erick Torres and Manotas.
