As Dynamo fans talk about what they see on the field, what happens behind the scenes makes everything possible.

That's where Matt Jordan works his magic.

When Jordan was hired to be the club's vice president and general manager near the end of 2014, his task was daunting: usher the Dynamo into a new era by building infrastructure that will get the franchise into Major League Soccer's top tier and keep it there.

That infrastructure has parts that work together. There is a sports science department and a performance analysis and data analytics department. The medical department has been streamlined. An emphasis has been placed on worldwide scouting.

The addition of the Rio Grande Valley FC, a United Soccer League franchise in Edinburg, is paramount, too, along with the vertical innovation of the academy and the first team.

"We felt it was important with the landscape of soccer in North America changing that we wanted to get the club operating in the most efficient and professional manner possible," Jordan said. "Any move we're making it's a very holistic approach."

The Dynamo's approach to Rio Grande Valley FC is new to MLS. It is a hybrid affiliation in which the Dynamo have technical control. Dynamo employees make every player personnel decision and pay costs associated with that.

The club's owner, Alonzo Cantu, who also owns the Rockets' NBA Development League team Rio Grande Valley Vipers, takes on the business operating costs.

RGV FC has more than one purpose. The Dynamo can sign players to a USL contract with the hope a player will one day work his way into form sufficient to be signed to an MLS contract. A Dynamo player coming back from injury or not playing much may be sent to RGV FC for playing time.

The clubs work so closely together that this week, coach Wilmer Cabrera, a former MLS coach, had his players in town for a couple of scrimmages so the Dynamo staff could watch.

One man who watches the Dynamo on a deeper level than most is Paul Caffrey, the club's sports performance director and fitness coach.

Every day in training, players wear bibs that have a heart-rate monitor and a GPS module. After every training session, Caffrey downloads the information and gives it to the coaches so they can assess each player's work rate.

It is not just a day-to-day or week-to-week adjustment. Caffrey said they're trying to make each player durable for the season.

"It really helps us tell where the players are so we can train them optimally," Caffrey said. "If you see a green light, then you might be able to push them more. If you see an orange or red light, you know you need to back off a little bit."

The information cannot be treated equally from player to player. Players respond differently to training. For instance, midfielder Ricardo Clark is an endurance athlete who can run for days. Forward Giles Barnes is explosive and powerful.

"I've seen players over the years where we saw it happening (on the data) and they did end up pulling a hamstring or a quad or a calf muscle," Caffrey said. "Then you use that data so the next time you know it's a red flag."

Determining which players will wear those bibs for the Dynamo is Jordan's job. Jordan has spent almost as much time outside the country than he has inside it since his hire.

His scouting trips have taken him all over South America and to Europe. He targets markets that fit Houston's size and climate.

It's a long way to go, but Jordan enjoys it because he believes everything he has put in place will help the Dynamo win their third MLS Cup.

"We have our finger on the pulse of a lot of different markets throughout the world," he said. "Every player decision we make, it's with one thing in mind. That's to put a winning product on the field that our fans can be proud of."