The Houston Dynamo signed midfielder Erik Duenas for the 2025 season with club options each year through 2028, the team announced on Tuesday.
Houston had claimed Duenas, 20, of the 2024 MLS End-of-Year Waivers list, after he spent the start of his career as a homegrown player with the Los Angeles Football Club.
Duenas played in 14 games last season (four starts) and 18 in 2023 (eight starts), collecting one assist in each season. The Los Angeles native played two matches in 2020, when he became the youngest player to appear in a game in LAFC history and third-youngest (now sixth) in an MLS match at 15 years, 362 days.
“Erik is a versatile central midfielder who will benefit from our possession-oriented playing style and our focus on developing young up-and-coming players,” Dynamo president of soccer Pat Onstad said in a news release. “He provides depth in our central midfield with his technical skillset and experience in a winning environment. We look forward to him competing for first-team minutes this upcoming season.”
The Dynamo open their 2025 season on Feb. 22 at home against FC Dallas.
–Field Level Media