HOUSTON (Sept. 5, 2025) – Houston Dynamo FC and Houston Dynamo Academy announced the coaching staff for the 2025-26 MLS NEXT season.
The Dynamo Academy is part of MLS NEXT that develops youth soccer players in North America through structured training and coaching. The 2025-26 season introduces the MLS NEXT Homegrown Division and the new MLS NEXT Academy Division, with 273 clubs, 2,189 teams and more than 43,000 players competing in over 28,000 matches.
“I really embrace the special opportunity I have to create an environment where people can grow. I put staff in positions that challenge them to succeed, and continue to find ways to support them as we elevate our work here. The more I can support and serve the staff, the more they can support and serve our players to maximize their potential,” said Academy General Manager Tony Vigil. “With the platform we have here at the Academy, everyone has the opportunity to chase their professional soccer dreams—with aspirations to make our First Team and beyond. I am equally proud of our 100% graduation rate since I’ve been here, which has seen all graduating academy players move on to Division One universities. It is important that all of our players and staff understand the importance of both education and their football. We have accomplished so much in the past three years, with the biggest achievement being the true internal belief in our young players. We have a strong foundation, a great staff and highly committed players. Everybody at the club is excited about the growth of our players in the Academy, and we are just getting started.”
Houston Dynamo Academy 2025-26 Coaching Staff
Daniel Roberts (Head of Individual Development) – Roberts has spent nearly two decades connected to the Dynamo, beginning as one of the club’s first Academy players in 2006 before being selected in the 2012 MLS Draft. His time as an Academy player led him onto a coaching path with the club. Over the past 12 years, he has served in multiple roles, including U-16/18 Academy Assistant Coach, U-9 to U-12 Academy Head Coach and Lead Scout, U-23 Assistant Coach and Director of Operations, U-13/14 and U-15/16 Academy Head Coach, Formation Director and most recently, Houston Dynamo 2 Assistant Coach from 2022–2024.
“Having immigrated here at an early age, I have always felt the desire to give back to the city, club and sport,” Roberts said. “The opportunity to provide young men with the same guidance and mentorship I once received is what excites me most about working in youth development.”
Steph Rigaud (U-18 Head Coach) – Entering his third season with the Academy, Rigaud serves as the U-18 head coach. A native of New York, Rigaud began his coaching career with Blau Weiss Gottschee, where he also played, before moving on to roles with Richmond United in Virginia and later New York Cosmos. He went on to coach at Barça Residency Academy in Arizona, serving as U-17 head coach and Director of Academy Goalkeeping, before joining the Dynamo in 2023.
“It is my third season here, and I am excited to see players from my first year step up as leaders this season,” said Rigaud. “It is rewarding to watch them grow as players and young men.”
Scott Howey (U-16 Head Coach) – Howey joined the Academy in 2023 after spending seven seasons with Vancouver Whitecaps FC, where he coached at multiple levels, including the U-15 and U-17 academy teams. Before his time in Vancouver, he worked with Surrey United Soccer Club in British Columbia for more than six years, serving as Boys BCSPL head coach and assistant technical director.
“I had aspirations as a kid to be a pro and never made it,” Howey said. “The next best thing was coaching, and over time I found even more love for coaching than I did for playing. To play a part in someone’s journey and help them become the best version of themselves is something I find way more enjoyment in.”
Cristiano Scapolo (U-15 Head Coach) – Scapolo joins the Academy as U-15 Head Coach with more than 15 years of professional playing and coaching experience. He played in Serie A from 1990 to 2004 with Inter Milan, Atalanta, Bologna, Napoli and Roma. Following his playing career, Scapolo began coaching with AC Milan’s academies in the United States before serving as Technical Director and Coach at Real So Cal. He later worked as a scout for the U.S. Men’s National Team during Copa América 2016 and World Cup Qualifiers and as an academy coach with LAFC. Scapolo also spent time as an assistant coach with the U.S. U-16 and U-17 National Teams. Most recently, he served as U-17 and U-18 academy head coach with FC Cincinnati, where he also worked as a first team assistant coach during the 2021 MLS season.
“When I started coaching, I was unsure of what I was doing, but then I saw results in the messages kids would send me, like, ‘Hey coach, thank you so much,’ and that made me happy,” Scapolo said. “I am lucky and very excited to be in this club. I always saw Houston as a great market for youth, so I am looking forward to seeing how I can help the program grow and learn from it as well.”
Cassidy Chriest (U-14 Head Coach) – Chriest, who joined the Academy in February 2024, serves as U-14 Head Coach, bringing extensive experience developing youth players across club, high school and academy programs. She began coaching at age 15 and continued while playing and running track in college. Chriest served as head soccer coach and Coerver Skills coach from 2011 to 2019, head JV Women’s coach at SDOHS from 2018 to 2024 and head coach at RSL-AZ from 2019 to 2024. She also held roles as youth academy director and ECNL assistant coach at RSL-AZ from 2022 to 2024.
“Working at the Dynamo has been an incredible blend of developing players and preparing them for a competitive journey to become professional athletes,” said Chriest. “Watching players overcome challenges, turn corners in their development and gain confidence in areas they did not have previously is what makes this job continuously rewarding.”
Patrik Abrahamsson (Head of Academy Goalkeeping) – Abrahamsson joined the Academy after serving as Head of Goalkeeping and first team assistant coach with FC Helsingør in the Danish 1st Division. He previously spent seven years as head of academy goalkeeping at Helsingborgs IF in Sweden before moving to Trelleborgs FF in the Swedish Superettan, where he also served as head of goalkeeping and first team assistant coach. Between 2021 and 2024, Abrahamsson coached goalkeepers for the Swedish youth national teams.
“I have always been passionate about long-term development and guiding young athletes toward their potential,” Abrahamsson said. “It is incredibly rewarding to witness their growth and play a role in shaping their journey to success.”
Johan Welch (Academy Goalkeeper Coach) – Welch grew up in the Dynamo Academy, joining the program at 14 before moving on to play collegiately at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During his time with the Dynamo, his father, Garth, coached him at the U-15 level. After injuries cut short his playing career, Welch returned to the club in 2022 as a part-time coach while rehabbing, before moving into a full-time role in January 2024. He now works alongside Abrahamsson with a focus on the U-14 through U-16 goalkeepers.
“We goalkeepers are just weirdos—different from everyone else,” said Welch. “When I first started playing, I was a midfielder, but I was obsessed with the guy diving around with the gloves. It felt like the goalkeeper was the black sheep of the group, and that really drew me in. My dad got me my first pair of gloves, and I never took them off. I would go to sleep with them and put them on in the car before training. After that, I was hooked. Now, I am excited to share that same passion with these young players and see what the boys can put together this year.”
Pablo Reyes (Talent ID Manager) - Reyes joined the Dynamo Academy after volunteering with the Academy in 2018. He previously worked in youth programs, assisting with camps, community outreach and coaching the U-13 through U-17 teams before transitioning to a full-time scouting role in August 2021.
“Being from Houston, it is really exciting to help some of the younger players find their way to the Academy, knowing there is a lot of talent that maybe was not getting attention. I feel a lot of pride in being able to help those kids,” said Reyes. “Our youngest team in the Academy is made up of nine different clubs. It is exciting to see them come together as a team for the first time and compete, and what I always tell young players is to show us who they are.”
Kathleen Fuller (Head of Education and Player Care) – Fuller joined the Academy in 2022, initially as Academy Player Care Coordinator, and was promoted to Head of Education and Player Care in January 2025. She previously taught for five years in Colorado and worked part-time in event operations for the Colorado Rapids. Fuller earned her bachelor’s degree from Calvin University and a master’s in sports business from the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. In her role, she oversees all players’ education, manages study hall, coordinates college recruitment and ensures the academic wellbeing of players across all age groups.
“I give players a space to be themselves outside of soccer,” Fuller said. “I am really excited to see their growth, how they do and their success on the field. It is fun for me because I am not tied to soccer at all. I just get to be excited for them, celebrate when they are happy and commiserate when they are sad.”
Rounding out the members of the Dynamo Academy are Development Coaches Boniek Garcia, Jon Giraldo, Jeremy Ngameni, Francisco Flores and Serebe Kajubi, Sports Performance Coaches Jordan Stewart-Mackie and Jayden Anderson, Athletic Trainers Adrian Gutierrez and Ashton Heitz, Academy Administrators Andrew Sibley and Aron Ortiz-Loredo and Education Coordinator Molly Gomez.
