Houston Dynamo head coach Wilmer Cabrera announced his technical and soccer operations staff for the 2019 season, fueled by 76, earlier today.
First assistant Michael Dellorusso returns for his third season with the club after moving to the First Team with Cabrera in 2017. Dellorusso held the same role in 2016 for the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, the Dynamo’s hybrid USL affiliate, under Cabrera. The Toros finished in second place in the Western Conference in their debut season in 2016. A national championship-winning defender who played four years in MLS, Dellorusso works closely with the team’s defensive group.
Assistant coach Davy Arnaud returns for his third season with the club. The Nederland, Texas native began his coaching career with D.C. United in 2016 as an assistant coach following a decade as a professional player, where he hoisted the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Arnaud played more than 350 games in MLS over a 14-year career and finished with 50 goals and 46 assists, and now works closely with the team’s attacking corps.
Goalkeeper coach Paul Rogers enters his fifth season in 2019 after joining the Dynamo in 2015. Prior to joining the Dynamo, he served as the U.S. Women's National Team goalkeeper coach since 2009. The Brighton, England native helped lead the U.S. to a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games and a second-place finish at the 2010 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Head of Performance, Paul Caffrey enters his fifth season with the Dynamo in 2019 after joining the club in 2015. The Dublin, Ireland native holds experience in MLS and with the United States national team program. Caffrey spent 2014 at Chivas USA as the first assistant coach under Cabrera also was the first assistant coach under Cabrera with the United States under-17 national team from 2007-11 and oversaw the physical preparation and fitness training of the team. In his role as Head of Performance, Caffrey oversees the club’s athletic training and sports performance staff.
The newest addition to Caffrey’s staff is Alex Calder, the club’s new Head of Sports Science. A former professional player in his native Australia, Calder has seven years of experience working with elite athletes around the world, most recently with Orlando City SC as the club’s Sports Science Analyst and Fitness Coach. With a Bachelor in Sport and Exercise Science from Fitchburg State University in Fitchburg, Mass., and a Master of High Performance Sport from Australian Catholic University, Calder began his career working with high-level athletes at Next Level Training Institute in Melbourne. He worked with Australian Football League players Collingwood FC before moving to the United States in 2014 as the head strength and conditioning coach at Super Strength and Conditioning in Westminster, Mass. He returned to the team side as a Sports Performance Intern at Purdue University in 2016 and was a Field Sport Specialist for the University of Louisville from 2016-17.
Chris Rumsey returns his third year with the club and his second as the Head Athletic Trainer. He was a member of the MLS Athletic Training Staff of the Year in 2017 before taking over as head athletic trainer in 2018. Rumsey obtained his BS in Athletic Training from Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, and then went to Oregon State University to pursue an MS in Sports Medicine. He began his MLS career as an intern with FC Dallas before moving on to the IMG Academy as an Assistant Athletic Trainer.
Casey Carlson is currently the Assistant Athletic Trainer for the Houston Dynamo. Carlson has extensive collegiate and professional sports experience after working for Georgia Southern University, LA Galaxy, San Diego Chargers, Colorado Rapids and Kansas State University before taking his current role with the Dynamo. Carlson graduated from South Dakota State University with a BS in Athletic Training and obtained a MS in Kinesiology from Georgia Southern.
Head Physical Therapist Nathan Hironymous has more than a decade of experience treating every level of athlete since graduating from the University of Texas with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology in 2003. Hironymous completed his Master’s in Physical Therapy at Texas Woman's University in Houston in 2005 and became board certified in Sports Physical Therapy in 2010.
Carl Edwards joins the Dynamo as a Video Analyst and reports directly to Cabrera. The New Zealand native began his career in sports in 2011 as an Auckland Coach for the Ricki Herbert Football Academy. He moved on to become the Futsal Whites Team Manager for New Zealand Football in 2012. Edwards worked for numerous clubs in his native New Zealand such as Albany United Football Club and Auckland City Football Club before joining the Auckland Football Federation as the Football Development Officer in 2015. Edwards returned to the club game in 2017 as the Head Analyst at Wellington Phoenix Football Club before making his move to the United States and joining the Houston Dynamo as the Head Video Analyst in January 2019.
Sean Steffan was promoted to Data Analyst in the offseason after serving as an Assistant Performance Analyst for the club since 2017. Steffen graduated with a BBA in Arts from Emory University in Atlanta. He began his career as an associate producer for Mann-Made Pictures, then switched over to the sports industry as a Senior Data Analyst for American Soccer Analysis. He joined the Houston Dynamo in 2017 as an Assistant Performance Analyst.
The 2018 MLS Equipment Manager of the Year, Chris Maxwell, enters his fifth season with the club after originally joining the Dynamo as Equipment Manager in 2015. Maxwell was promoted to Director of Equipment Operations in January 2017 and oversees the equipment needs and fulfillment for the Dynamo, Houston Dash, Rio Grande Valley FC and the Dynamo Academy.
Eddie Cerda returns for his fifth season with the club after serving as an Equipment Coordinator for FC Dallas. Cerda obtained a BS in Health and Physical Education/Fitness and a MEd in Interscholastic Athletic Administration from William Carey University.
Cesar Martinez will serve as the Dynamo Team Administrator for his fourth season since transitioning to the role in May of 2016. Prior to joining the Dynamo First Team staff, the Houston native spent six years with the organization in the operations department of Houston Sports Park and gameday operations at Robertson Stadium at the University of Houston and BBVA Compass Stadium.
