HOUSTON – The Houston Dynamo announced on Thursday the club had signed Rio Grande Valley FC defender Conor Donovan, making the 22-year-old the latest player to make the move to Houston from the Dynamo’s USL partner.

Donovan has played every minute of the Toros’ 10 games so far this season, with the side having gone undefeated in its last six games while recording for shutouts. He joins fellow former Toros Eric Bird, Memo Rodriguez, George Malki and Kevin Garcia in the Dynamo’s current squad, and is the 20th former USL player to have been signed to a Major League Soccer contract since the start of 2018.

A North Carolina native, Donovan joined the Toros after spending the last three seasons with Orlando City SC, which selected him 22nd overall in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft as a Generation adidas player after one season at North Carolina State. After struggling with injury early in his professional career, he made 35 appearances in the USL for Orlando City B before joining the Toros this offseason. Donovan leads the Toros with 46 clearances and 13 blocks this season, while also recording 17 interceptions.

A former U.S. Men’s Youth International, Donovan played for the U17 national team from 2011-13, including under the tutelage of current Dynamo Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera from 2011-12. He made 29 total appearances and scored two goals for the U17 National Team and competed in the 2013 CONCACAF U17 Championships. With the U20 National Team, he made 10 appearances with one goal and competed in the 2015 CONCACAF U20 Championship and the 2015 FIFA U20 World Cup.