Cabezas hopes to plant roots after playoffs
Reliable, focused midfielder yearns for a permanent position on club
The Dynamo’s Juan David Cabezas has been loaned five times in his career, so by now the 26-yearold midfielder knows the drill.
Wait until the end of the season to see if he’s wanted.
The bulk of his soccer life has been playing out one-year contracts — situations that almost always are tenuous.
This year is no different. The Dynamo acquired Cabezas on a yearlong loan from Colombian club Deportivo Cali. They must decide by the end of the calendar year if they want to pay the undisclosed transfer fee to make him theirs permanently. If they choose not to, he’ll go back to Cali, where he was born.
The waiting game
In the meantime, Cabezas is preparing for the return leg of the Western Conference finals at Seattle on Thursday. He said it’s his biggest focus this week — not whether he will be in Houston, Colombia or somewhere else in the Americas next season.
“You think about your future. It’s normal to think about that,” Cabezas said. “But I know that if we continue stepping forward in this competition it could be easier for me to continue here. It is a decision for the coach and the staff. I am waiting for this decision, but I am focused and trying to win this game.”
Cabezas has played a major role in many of the games the Dynamo have won this season. He debuted as a sub in the second game and started the third game. He started 26 of his 27 appearances during the regular season and has played every minute of the four playoff games.
To say he has become one of the most dependable players is an understatement. Cabezas ranks first in the team in tackles, tackles won and passes attempted. He ranks second in completion percentage and interceptions.
Adjusting to MLS
Those statistics are especially impressive because this is his first season in MLS. Dynamo GM Matt Jordan said he liked many of Cabezas’ qualities when he recruited him. No matter the talent, though, adapting to a new league always takes time.
Cabezas clearly looked like he had work to do during the preseason, when he committed foul after foul. But as the season has gone on, Cabezas has caught up to the speed of the game.
“The style of play here is different,” Jordan said. “That’s a credit to him that he’s adapted to a high-tempo league. He deserves a lot of credit. Juan has been a big contributor.
“The great thing with Juan is as good a player as he has been, he is a really good person and a really good team player. The group has gravitated to that quality and that’s important to us as a club.”
Jordan would not discuss Cabezas’ loan situation. The decision to buy him will be made by club ownership.
Cabezas said he has not talked about it with anyone on the staff, but that he would like to stay. He said he loves the friends he has made in Houston.
One teammate with whom he has connected is fellow Colombian Mauro Manotas. They played against one another in Colombia before Manotas came to the Dynamo in 2015.
Now that they are teammates, they have celebrated goals with the same Colombian dance virtually all season. When Manotas’ family visited a training session last week, Cabezas greeted them with the widest of smiles and strong hugs even though he had never met them.
When the 2016 season ended, the Dynamo held only a portion of Manotas’ player rights. During the offseason, they used targeted allocation money to secure 100 percent.
Beneficial experience
If Cabezas has his way, the Dynamo will do that for him, too. If he must wait until Dec. 10 — the day after the MLS Cup final — to find out, it would make the situation perfect.
“(Houston) has been very good for me,” Cabezas said. “I have learned a lot, so many things on and off the field. I am learning day by day. I have to improve many things, but I am happy for this year. We hope we continue forward. We dream about stepping a little bit further.”