Houston Dynamo: Chris Seitz departure inevitable

Chris Seitz was traded to D.C. United as part of the trade in which the Houston Dynamo acquired the 33rd overall pick in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft. His departure, sadly, was inevitable.

Chris Seitz’s exit became inevitable as soon as the Houston Dynamo exercised options on both Joe Willis and Michael Nelson earlier this offseason.

On Friday, Seitz was traded to D.C. United in exchange for the No. 33 overall selection in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft, which was used to select Maryland defender Andrew Samuels.

This trade was associated with an earlier trade, during which D.C. United acquired the second-round pick and additional considerations from the New England Revolution. United then immediately traded the No. 33 pick to Houston for the rights to Seitz.

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The move made sense for everyone involved. Prior to the SuperDraft, Houston had four goalkeepers on the roster (Seitz, Willis, Nelson, and Tyler Deric). Seitz started the first five games of last season before yielding to Willis, who proceeded to establish himself as the unquestioned starter with some outstanding saves. Deric will serve as Big Joe’s main source of competition now that his legal issues are, hopefully, behind him, and Nelson’s strong displays with Rio Grande Valley FC lead many to believe that he will be the future no. 1.

Despite the fact that the Dynamo only signed Seitz last offseason to provide competition at the goalkeeper position, he simply did not fit into the Dynamo’s plans. However, D.C. United certainly had a need for a goalkeeper, as Jason Anderson of Black & Red United explains:

"“Given (Bill) Hamid’s past injury history and the fact that he is still only on loan from FC Midtjylland, adding Seitz may be both a move for a gameday backup and an insurance policy in case Hamid is unavailable one way or another.”"

Seitz, who will turn 32 in March, will vie with newly acquired Earl Edwards Jr. to back up Bill Hamid. David Ousted, who was the starter for much of last season until Hamid returned from Denmark, is also under contract at the club, but following Seitz’s arrival, a move for the Dane is likely according to Steven Goff of The Washington Post:

"“United is eager to shed his (Ousted) $375,000 guaranteed contract by trading him or reaching an agreement that allows him to sign overseas.”"

Going back to one of my original points; this move made sense for all of the parties involved. The Dynamo and United will half Seitz’s salary; he made $155,004.00 last year, and the fact that the University of Maryland alum has made over 100 Major League Soccer (MLS) appearances will ease the minds of D.C. United supporters should something happen to Hamid.

Chris Seitz has often found himself battling for the starting job during his long MLS career. He will continue this trend with D.C. United, who look likely to challenge for the 2019 MLS Cup. But for the Houston Dynamo, his exit was inevitable, and that is no bad thing.