HOUSTON – The Houston Dynamo announced on Monday they had signed Belize international Michael Salazar from the USL Championship’s Rio Grande Valley FC. The forward will be available for selection on Tuesday evening for Houston’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match.

Salazar has appeared in 12 matches for the Toros this season, starting eight, and leads the team with eight goals on the year. Salazar’s eight goals have already set a single-season record for the Toros and place him tied for fourth-most in the USL Championship in the 2019 campaign.

 The 26-year-old previously competed in Major League Soccer for the Montreal Impact, where he made 34 appearances and recorded five goals and three assists in three seasons. Salazar signed with the Toros this offseason, and earlier this season recorded the first hat trick in the club’s history in a 4-4 draw against the LA Galaxy II.

Born in New York City but raised in Cayo, Belize, Salazar competes on the international level for Belize, for which he has made 12 overall appearances, including three in the 2013 Concacaf Gold Cup and five in the 2017 Copa Centroamericana. He made his senior international debut on June 11, 2013 for Belize against Guatemala in an international friendly match.