A Longtime Backup Gets His Chance

By Dan Stelly | Photo via Houston Dynamo

Note: Each week, we work with EA Sports FIFA, one of our sponsors, to highlight a player from their Ultimate Team, which assembles the best players from international and club competition around the world. If you’d like to have this piece (along with other dispatches from the soccer universe) delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our weekly bulletin.

Tyler Deric is our EA Sports FIFA Player of the Week for his standout performances in goal for the Houston Dynamo.

After one year at UNC, the Texas native joined the Dynamo in 2007 and became the club’s first Homegrown player to sign a professional contract in 2009. Deric saw time in only seven league games over the next four years, but the 26-year-old recently replaced the injured Tally Hall and hasn’t looked back.

In eight starts, Deric has three shutouts to go along with a bevy of incredible saves, especially the six he made — including a penalty stop — in last week’s 1–0 win over Toronto FC. While Deric’s heroics haven’t been enough to keep Houston in the playoff hunt, the longtime backup has proven himself worthy of a starting role.

The highlight of Deric’s stint as a starter came in the Dynamo’s 1–0 win against Toronto on October 8. Check out the highlights below.