U-16 Houston Dynamo FC Academy Players star at COPA Alianza

The Houston Dynamo FC Academy played a prominent role at COPA Alianza in Phoenix, Arizona this past week. Four players including Axel Gonzalez, Sebastian Rodriguez, Jose Moreno Jr. and Jorge Estrada represented the Houston Dynamo Academy FC on the U-16 Mexican National Team.

“This is another great sign of the direction of the Dynamo Academy,” Houston Dynamo general manager Pat Onstad said. “Having this many players called into national team camps shows that we are making progress towards turning the Dynamo into one of the best youth academies in the country. We look forward to watching Axel, Sebastian, Jose and Lalo continue to develop and represent the Dynamo on the international stage.”

 Two of the four figured in key roles for the El Tri Youth National side. In the opening match won by El Tri over Barca Academy AZ, Gonzalez pulled off the hat trick in a 4-1 win. In the second match against Alianza U-17 select side they won 4-0. Estrada had a goal while Rodriguez wore the captain's armband and added an assist in the second half.

Gonzalez, Estrada and Rodriguez have been a part of the Dynamo Academy program since 2018 while Moreno Jr. joined in 2020. All four are considered midfielder although Gonzalez can also feature as a center back.

Look to hear more about these four as the summer wears on.