TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
Houston Dynamo FC have secured a key piece in their roster rebuild, announcing Friday they’ve signed Danish international defender Erik Sviatchenko from FC Midtjylland.
The 31-year-old, who’s captained the Danish powerhouse side, has signed through the 2024 MLS season with an option for 2025. The deal involved Targeted Allocation Money (TAM).
Sviatchenko projects as a first-choice center back alongside Zimbabwean international Teenage Hadebe. The Dynamo, in their early days under new head coach Ben Olsen, also have Ethan Bartlow and Daniel Steres as domestic options at the position.
"We entered this offseason looking to add more players with a winning pedigree and Erik has won at every stop in his career. He adds valuable experience to the spine of our team and provides another veteran presence in our locker room," Dynamo general manager Pat Onstad said in a release.
"He was excited by the vision of the club and the opportunity to contribute to our project. We are thrilled to welcome him and his family to Houston."
Sviatchenko had spent the entirety of his professional career in Europe, playing in nearly 400 games for Midtjylland and Scottish Premier League powerhouse Celtic FC. He won 11 trophies across the two clubs, leading to consistent matches in the UEFA Europe League, UEFA Champions League and UEFA Conference League.
Sviatchenko has played five times for Denmark, debuting in a November 2015 friendly against the United States. He last featured in a March 2016 friendly vs. Scotland.
Houston, seeking their first Audi MLS Cup Playoffs berth since 2017, brought in 14 players this offseason. Key newcomers also include defenders Franco Escobar and Brad Smith, midfielder Artur, and attackers Amine Bassi and Iván Franco.
While at Midtjylland, Sviatchenko was teammates with Portland Timbers club-record signing Evander. The Brazilian midfielder moved to MLS this winter for a reported $10 million deal. Sviatchenko is also the league’s second Danish international center back to arrive during the Primary Transfer Window after Andreas Maxsø signed with the Colorado Rapids from Brøndby.
READ MORE: MLS Transfer Tracker presented by Avant
