When Tab Ramos took over as the head coach of the Houston Dynamo he set his eyes on one player – Darwin Quintero.
“I am very excited to work with a player like Darwin. He is the player I wanted from the beginning, since I took this job – so I look forward to having him here in Houston,” Ramos said. “He is a very exciting player in the final third and we will put him in the best position to impact our team.”
Quintero’s impact will be felt largely on offense as the Colombian forward finished with 21 goals and 20 assists in league play after two seasons with Minnesota United. The 32-year-old contributed to more than 40 percent of the Loons’ goals during his stint in Minnesota.
Questions about the forward’s future and price tag began to pop up as early as Monday when the forward posted a message of gratitude for his time in the Twin Cities.
“After two years of living great experiences in Minnesota, I want to inform you that the (technical staff) and the club made the decision not to validate the renewal option,” Quintero said on Twitter. “My best wishes and thanks for everything.”
Speculation about Quintero’s future ended on Wednesday afternoon after reports surfaced that the Dynamo were the frontrunners for the services of the former Club America forward. The path to securing Quintero’s signature though began much earlier with a call to the club’s ownership group, led by Gabriel Brener, who gave a clear message.
“I am very happy that ownership supported the idea of trading for Darwin from the beginning,” Ramos said. “We were in a position where Darwin had offers from teams in Mexico and throughout MLS – so we had to make a big effort to bring him here. Fans should really be proud of that – we got a player that they can get behind.”
Fans will have their first opportunity to see Quintero in January when the club returns to Houston Sports Park for preseason. Additional information regarding the team’s preseason schedule will be posted on HoustonDynamo.com in the coming weeks.
