It is often said, “it takes a village to raise a child”, well when it comes to Houston Dynamo hopeful Bryan Moya, it could not be more true. Bryan Moya is currently a guest player for the Houston Dynamo and hopes to become a part of the first team. He was recently featured in the Houston Dynamo Academy vs Academy Alumni game, playing for the Alumni team.
Moya has a legion of supporters that are willing to miss work and attend practices just to watch him play. There are even rumors that around 200 people have made plans to purchase tickets for his first official appearance in a Houston Dynamo game, if he were to make it that far. The question on your mind is probably how an Academy Alumnus has gathered this much of a following before even signing a professional contract. In order to understand this, we’ll have to dive into how he first arrived to Houston.
Moya’s mother lost a leg while migrating to the United States from Honduras while she was hitching a ride on the “Death Train” or “La Bestia”. La Bestia is a network of freight trains that crosses the length of Mexico, and is often times used by Central Americans to migrate quickly through Mexico and into the United States. It was during one of these treks that Moya’s mother fell and her leg was crushed by the train. Bryan Moya then decided to come to the United States in order to help his family out.
One of his early experiences with soccer in the United States was when one he joined a six versus six soccer tournament in the Houston area. Moya’s team made it to the final before one of his friends on the opposing team, told the organizers of the tournament that Moya was too young to be playing in the tournament. Once this was confirmed, his team was disqualified and he missed it out in a chance to place for a chance to travel to Europe for a tournament. There is no animosity between the friends, and that was not the final opportunity that Moya would have of playing soccer in this country.
In 2014, Bryan Moya played for the Chicago Mustangs of the Major Arena Soccer League, where he truly started to shine; not only did he help the Mustangs become champions during the 2013-2014 season, but he was also selected for player of the week by the league. During one of these games, the Houston Dynamo discovered him and offered Moya a chance to play for the U23 team.
When he wasn’t playing for the U23s, he was playing indoor soccer in the Houston area, and became a beloved member of the community of players that play and attend the games. His humility and good nature earned him the admiration of a community that is now supporting him in his journey to becoming a professional soccer player in the United States.
While he has not earned a spot yet on the team, he is currently training with them and every one of his friends know that his long work hours, sacrifices, and talent will eventually get him a spot on the Houston Dynamo. He has also gained a few new friends during his time with the Houston Dynamo, current Dynamo players and fellow Hondurans Oscar Boniek Garcia, Luis Garrido, and Alex Lopez have become close with him.
Today in practice new Houston Dynamo coach Owen Coyle had some interesting words to say, “there are some great experienced players in the team, but players like Memo, Moya, and [draft picks] will add much needed depth to round out the squad.” It seems as if Bryan Moya’s dream of becoming of playing in Major League Soccer is becoming a reality.
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