Philly expansion leaves Dynamo roster untouched, but two players are waived

Each of the Houston Dynamos' four seasons has ended with an expansion draft for a new MLS team. But in this year's draft, unlike the previous three, the Dynamo did not lose a player. The Philadelphia Union, the 2010 expansion franchise, was allowed to select 10 players from the pool of nearly 200 unprotected players, but could take no more than one from any team.

Teams were allowed to protect 11 players, in addition to any players who are part of the Generation adidas program. The other teams that did not lose a player to Philadelphia are MLS Cup champs Real Salt Lake, Kansas City Wizards, FC Dallas and Toronto FC.

Philadelphia coach Peter Nowak picked primarily young players; former Dynamo forward Alejandro Moreno was one of the few veteran players chosen. The Venezuelan international has played with the Columbus Crew since he was traded by the Dynamo in 2007. Moreno has 43 MLS career goals and 28 assists.

Following the expansion draft, any players who had been waived by their team were up for grabs in the waiver draft open to all teams. A total of eleven players were waived by six teams, including forward Abe Thompson and midfielder John Michael Hayden of the Dynamo. Only Abe Thompson was picked up in the waiver draft -- by Real Salt Lake.

Thompson was acquired by the Dynamo in a last-minute trade in September that sent forward Kei Kamara to Kansas City. Thompson scored the game-winning goal in the Dynamo's regular-season finale against Chivas USA, and notched one assist in CONCACAF Champions League play.

So the current Dynamo roster stands at 22, after Thompson and Hayden were waived and out-of-contract Ricardo Clark decided to explore his options in Europe. Stu Holden is still a question mark for next season -- he was talking to Aberdeen of the Scottish Premier League, but apparently that didn't work out.

Next November, Dynamo fans will once again face the prospect of losing players, as both Portland and Vancouver gear up for MLS play. Montreal will likely be an expansion franchise the following year.

Dynamo players selected in MLS expansion drafts
2006: Defender Adrian Serioux to Toronto (immediately traded to Dallas)
2007: Defender Ryan Cochrane to San Jose
2008: Forward Nate Jacqua to Seattle