The Houston Dynamo have acquired forward Jason Garey in a trade with the Columbus Crew, the teams announced on Friday. In exchange for Garey, the Dynamo sent their natural fourth-round pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft to the Crew.
Garey, 26, has played for Columbus over the last five seasons and helped the club to the 2008 MLS Cup title, back-to-back Supporters’ Shield titles in 2008 and '09, and two trips to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League. Garey has scored 15 goals and added six assists in 83 regular-season games, including 40 starts. Garey is from Gonzales, La., a five-hour drive from Houston.
“I couldn’t be more excited,” Garey said. “I’ve always admired the team and the coaching staff and organization down there. Being from the Gulf Coast area, the Dynamo have always been the hometown team of Louisiana, because even being in Houston, they’re pretty close. So I’m very excited and looking forward to getting to play with those guys.”
A collegiate standout at the University of Maryland, Garey won the MAC Hermann Trophy as the nation’s top player in 2005 after his second consecutive 22-goal season, and his Maryland squad won the national championship that year. Garey’s sister, Melissa, captained the woman’s soccer team at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, and played for US youth national teams.
“I’ve always thought he was a good player,” Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear said. “When he played against us, I enjoyed his work rate and his hunger to help the team, so we’re looking forward to seeing him in Houston.”
Garey won the Crew’s Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2010 for his work on behalf of victims of the BP oil spill in his native Louisiana. He serves as a spokesman for Vanishing Paradise, a campaign to raise awareness of the issue.
Think you know the game? Test your powers of prediction with MLSsoccer.com's fantasy game,Pro Soccer Picks. Play NOW!
