The Houston Dynamo have confirmed earlier reports by announcing the signing of Spanish defender Raul Rodriguez later today, a day after the player agreed an early contract termination from his former La Liga club, RCD Espanyol.

The signing also comes a day after the Dynamo announced a loan agreement for young Argentine playmaker, Leonel Miranda. The two moves, combined with the signing of Erick Torres, put the Dynamo into a much better position to compete this season as they move to the Western Conference.

Rodriguez joins the Dynamo on a free transfer thanks to the agreement between the player and Espanyol to terminate his contract months ahead of the original termination date, after having featured in only three matches this season, only one of which was a league match.

In Rodriguez, the Dynamo gain a player who has experience at the highest levels of soccer and against some of the best players in the world. He made his debut for Espanyol in the 2010/11 season, making 10 appearances in the league including 8 starts. 2011/12 saw him become a regular member of the first team with 28 league appearances, all starts.

From the start of the 2012/13 season, however, he began to see his playing time shrink. In 2012/13 he made 22 league appearances, 17 of which were starts. 2013/14 he was down to 19 appearances in the league, 12 of which were starts.

Rodriguez provides the Dynamo with some flexibility across the back. He is primarily a central defender, however is capable of playing out wide on either the left or the right side of the pitch. Relative to the average MLS defender, Rodriguez has good vision and the ability to play the ball out of the back. The player has good positioning sense and reacts quickly to the ball.

As is the case with the other defenders on the Dynamo roster, Rodriguez is not known for his pace but has adequate recovery speed. Unfortunately, however, he does not provide the set piece threat the the Dynamo so desperately need: in his career across all competitions he has zero goals.

Rodriguez is of Catalan descent having been born in Barcelona and has spent his entire career playing in the city. This will be his first foray away from home leading to possible concerns over how the player will settle in. The Latin influence in the city, however, and the increasingly distinct Hispanic make-up of the team should make it considerably easier for the player to settle.

With this signing, the Dynamo front office cap off an off-season where they have confounded critics, especially amongst the fanbase, who have expected the team to flounder and become irrelevant in “MLS 3.0” given perceived ownership concerns. The Dynamo have done anything but, and at this stage of the off-season would have to be considered in the running for best off-season in MLS.

The start of the regular season is still a couple of months away (collective bargaining agreement willing). However, in the meantime enjoy this video of Rodriguez in action for Espanyol (wearing #3).