Philippe Senderos has overcome injuries to catch fire for the Dynamo.
As the clock ticked in extra time in a July match against Los Angeles FC, Philippe Senderos positioned himself for Dynamo forward Romell Quioto’s corner kick. The 6-3 defender saw the ball curl inward, make contact with forward Alberth Elis’ head and bounce to him.
Senderos fired a shot with his left foot that hit off an L.A.midfielder and into the top right corner of the net. After ending regulation down 2-0, the Dynamo scored their second goal in injury time to tie with the secondbest Western Conference club.
Senderos’ ability to maintain composure and lead in clutch moments were among the reasons coach Wilmer Cabrera was excited when he signed with the Dynamo in August 2017.
“He has wonderful experience,” Cabrera said. “He’s an important defender for us because of his experience, because of his quality and because of his knowledge of the game and ability to communicate properly on the field.”
Senderos, 33, a Geneva, Switzerland, native, began playing professionally in 2002 with Servette FC, a Swiss club. He has played in Switzerland, England, Italy, Spain and Scotland. His 15year European career includes a seven-year stint with Arsenal FC of the English Premier League. He also played on the Swiss national team in the 2006, 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
But injuries have always plagued Senderos. He played for four clubs in a span of 3½ years before landing in Houston. He
was cut from Aston Villa FC, Grasshopper Club Zurich and Rangers FC in May 2017. Later that summer, Senderos considered playing in MLS. Cabrera saw the chance to add a player with international experience and convinced Senderos to sign.
“Once I had the opportunity, and I spoke with Wilmer, it made (the decision) clear for me,” Senderos said. “It’s an exciting league and I was very happy to come and try it out.”
Senderos made two regularseason appearances last season. When starting defenders A.J. DeLaGarza and Leonardo suffered injuries, Senderos earned time in four playoff matches. This season, Senderos scored his first MLS goal in the team’s 4-0 season-opening win over Atlanta United FC on March 3. After suffering a right hamstring injury the following week, he was out for the next 11 games. He returned June 9 in a 2-0 home win over Colorado Rapids. Over the last four matches, Senderos scored three goals. Four goals in a season is his career high.
“(Scoring is) always special for me,” he said. “I don’t really score very often. I’m not a striker. We’ve been practicing, and I’ve been on the receiving end.”