After a disappointing 2016 campaign, the Dynamo are looking to rebuild their roster from top to bottom under a new head coach.

The new year has brought a new look in Houston as they have a hired a new head coach in Wilmer Cabrera, and the club has wasted little time in bringing in new faces to make up his roster. The club has acquired several young international players that will energize their rather old roster.

Cabrera and company still have a lot to accomplish if they want to become contenders in a tough Western Conference, though, as the club looks to rebound from another tough season.

Let’s take a look at how the Houston roster is taking shape for the 2017 season.

WHO’S IN

Juan David Cabezas, Romell Quioto, Adolfo Machado, Alberth Elis, Dylan Remick, Leonardo

WHO’S OUT

Will Bruin, Sheanon Williams, Collen Warner, Sebastian Ibeagha, Rob Lovejoy, Cristian Maidana, Raul Rodriguez, Zach Steinberger, DaMarcus Beasley, David Horst, Abdoulie Mansally, Jose Escalante, Keyner Brown, Yair Arboleda

DRAFT PICKS

Round No. 1: 4th overall

Round No. 2: 30th overall, 36th overall

Round No. 4: 70th overall

REMAINING NEEDS

The Dynamo have acquired multiple offensive players in the offseason so far.

After Cruz Azul declined to buy Erik “Cubo” Torres, he will now return to the Dynamo for the 2017 season. He is a designated player, which makes him the third DP for Houston and all of them play center forward. The addition of Romell Quioto will also provide the young Mauro Manotas with some attacking help, giving the club some options atop the field in 2017.

The midfield for Houston looks better after Cabrera acquired Juan David Cabezas on loan. The talented Boniek Garcia will be returning, but with him growing older along with Ricardo Clark, the Dynamo need to strengthen their midfield. Andrew Wenger and Eric Alexander bring experience but both of them have been inconsistent in their respective careers.

After losing Horst and Beasley, the Dynamo need to rebuild their back line. Houston has acquired Leonardo, Dylan Remick, and Adolfo Machado. These acquisitions will not make the Dynamo contenders, but should provide solid depth. The club still needs a go-to centerback if they hope to contend in 2017.

Another option is selecting a young defender with the 4th overall pick in the MLS Draft, which could provide solid value for a Dynamo team that still has several needs.

OUTLOOK

After viewing the Dynamo’s current roster, the club faces an uphill battle to leap into the West’s elite. That is just reality with the quality of their roster and the amount of talent in the Western Conference.

Even though 2017 may not be their year, they are in the right steps of returning to the glory the club once had.

If a couple more signings can happen, the Dynamo will not be looked at as a last place team. The acquisitions of Romell Quioto and Juan David Cabezas will provide Houston with a dangerous attack.

The problem with Houston is they are using all three Designated Player slots on attacking players, creating a logjam atop the field. What that means for the returning Torres remains to be seen, but the Dynamo roster remains very unbalanced entering 2017.

The emergence of Mauro Monatas was a positive last season, and the forward will be extremely important if Houston wants any success in 2017. The youngster is proving to be a dynamic striker, but the Dynamo have to provide quality players around him if they want to have a successful season in 2017