HOUSTON (Feb. 17, 2026) – Houston Dynamo FC announced today that Houston Dynamo 2 head coach Marcelo Santos has been promoted to an assistant coach with the first team.
Jeremy Hurdle will take over as interim head coach of Dynamo 2, the same role he assumed during the 2024 season when Kenny Bundy was promoted to the first team as an assistant coach.
“We are committed to elevating our organization by investing in our people and creating pathways for growth,” said President of Soccer Pat Onstad. “Marcelo has earned this opportunity through his outstanding leadership with Dynamo 2, where he strengthened our youth pathway and built a competitive culture with the youngest lineup in MLS NEXT Pro. We are excited for him to bring his energy, experience and player development expertise to our First Team staff.”
Santos joins the first team staff after leading Dynamo Dos during its fourth regular season campaign in 2025, marking his first season with the Club. He oversaw the youngest roster in MLS NEXT Pro, with an average age of 18.9 years old and played a key role in the development of defender Felipe Andrade, who became the seventh player to graduate from Dynamo 2 to the first team and solidified his role as a consistent first team starter by the end of 2025.
Under Santos’ leadership, 13 Dynamo Academy players made their professional debuts, and four of them scored their first professional goals, reinforcing the Club’s commitment to providing our young players with unique and consistent opportunities at a high level. Notably, Dynamo 2’s home opener during the 2025 season featured three 15-year-olds in the starting lineup, including defender Daniel Barrett, midfielder MattheoDimareli and former Dynamo Academy player Lukas Bruegmann, as Santos earned his first victory as head coach in a 3-1 win versus Sporting Kansas City II.
Prior to joining the Club in January 2025, the São Paulo, Brazil native most recently served roles as an assistant coach for both New England Revolution II and the Marquette Men’s Soccer team, bringing in more than a decade of coaching experience across professional, collegiate and amateur levels.
