It helps to know a guy who knows a guy.
That’s how the Houston Dynamo and VP/General Manager Matt Jordan first caught wind of the their most recent acquisition, Colombian winger Yair Arboleda. The 20-year-old midfielder has been in the system of Colombian powerhouse Independiente Santa Fe, where Rio Grande Valley FC head coach Wilmer Cabrera began his professional career as a player in 1985.
“Yair came onto our radar through a former teammate of Wilmer’s,” Jordan told HoustonDynamo.com. “Obviously Wilmer’s a very well-respected name in Colombia, and he was very helpful in the process of getting information on the Yair being a former player with Sante Fe.”
Jordan then turned to his scouting network and trusted contacts in Colombia for follow-up reports. The reviews and evaluation with the technical staff came in of a dynamic winger with the ability to play on either side with outstanding pace and capacity for growth. When Jordan got word that a loan deal could be in put in place this transfer window, he was immediately on a plane southbound.
“I had the opportunity to travel to Colombia to meet with Yair and his representative in person and to watch him play live,” he said. “His best quality is that he’s able to stretch the field and put defenders on their heels. He has the ability to unbalance the opponent, especially on the counter attack.”
The key word for Jordan in securing the deal: opportunity. It’s not every day you can bring in a 20-year-old with upside coupled with first team minutes already under his belt into the club. Now, interim head coach Wade Barrett and his staff get their chance to work with the young prospect hands-on.
“We felt it was important to get him in our system on a day-by-day as soon as possible to start working with our staff,” Jordan said, noting the success of loan-to-buy options in MLS over the years. “You get a first-hand feeling of how the player adapts into our environment which is important.”
Arboleda joins fellow Colombian Mauro Manotas and former Dynamo winger Leonel Miranda as young, attacking South Americans brought into the club by Jordan. He noted that there’s a good history of players from South America—and Colombia specifically—making the transition to MLS.
“The Columbian and Argentine league in particular are both very demanding. These young players are forced to perform in high pressure environments from a very young age . When you play in those situations from a young age you always have a feeling in the back of your mind that your job is on the line, which is important to progress as a professional.”
“The other thing to consider with the Colombian and Argentine leagues is that the tempo of the game and the physicality are similar to MLS. Finally, it’s very important to consider the climate that these players compete which is similar to Houston, which helps a lot in their transition.”
Arboleda began the transition on Friday morning as he joined the Dynamo for training, but won’t be available for Sunday’s clash against the San Jose Earthquakes as the team awaits his P-1 Visa and ITC, and it remains to be seen how quickly he can adapt to the team and league for MLS minutes.
“He’s a young prospect, it’s always hard to put a timeline on it —different players adapt at different speeds,” Jordan said. “It’s our goal that he’ll steadily settle in as we push into the second half of our season.”
