Mauro Manotas sat in a leather chair in the lobby of the Ritz Carlton in Atlanta. Passersby wouldn’t know that the Colombian striker, wearing a plain gray T-shirt, black shorts and flip flops, is a member of the Houston Dynamo. As the interview was wrapping up, Alberth Elis approached wearing Dynamo orange and black, a graphic cap and vintage Nike sneakers. He had just explored downtown Atlanta via scooter with some of his teammates.



When Manotas ceded the chair to Elis, there were no fist bumps or bro hugs. They nodded to each other rather casually and Manotas made his way back to his hotel room. Houston’s two most dynamic attackers have a formidable partnership on the pitch but are very different off of it.



“Off the field we have a normal relationship,” Manotas said. “We have different interests, but we understand each other.”



Manotas, 24, recently married his girlfriend of four years. The couple carried...