Marcelo Palomino (born May 21, 2001) is an American professional soccer player who plays as an attacking midfielder for the Houston Dynamo in Major League Soccer.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Marcelo Palomino | ||
| Date of birth | (2001-05-21) May 21, 2001 (age 21) | ||
| Place of birth | Houston, Texas, United States | ||
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
Current team | Houston Dynamo | ||
| Number | 27 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2012–2019 | Houston Dynamo | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2017–2018 | Brazos Valley Cavalry | 7 | (6) |
| 2019– | Houston Dynamo | 3 | (0) |
| 2021 | → Charlotte Independence (loan) | 31 | (6) |
| 2022– | Houston Dynamo 2 | 17 | (7) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2016 | United States U16 | 8 | (2) |
| 2017 | United States U17 | 3 | (1) |
| 2018 | United States U18 | 5 | (0) |
| 2019 | United States U20 | 3 | (0) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of September 23, 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of October 31, 2020 | |||
Palomino joined the Houston Dynamo academy when he was 11 years old.[1][2] Whilst with the Dynamo academy, Palomino was named Dynamo Academy Player of the Year for three consecutive seasons between 2016 and 2018. He spent parts of the 2017 and 2018 seasons with Houston's Premier Development League affiliate side Brazos Valley Cavalry, scoring 7 goals in 8 appearances for the club, helping them to the PDL Mid-South Division title in 2018.[3][4] He also spent time training with the Dynamo first team regularly in 2017 and 2018.[5][6]
In 2019, after turning 18, Palomino turned down contract offers from the Dynamo to pursue an opportunity in Europe, going on trials with Portuguese club FC Porto, German club TSV 1860 Munich, and others.[7][8]
On January 6, 2019, Palomino signed with Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo as a homegrown player.[5][7][9] He made his professional debut on October 3, 2020, appearing as a 77th-minute substitute during a 2–1 loss to Sporting Kansas City. Palomino finished the 2020 season having made 3 appearances, all as a substitute, for the Dynamo.[10]
On March 3, 2021, Palomino joined USL Championship club Charlotte Independence on loan for the 2021 season.[11] He made his debut for Charlotte on May 1 in a 3–0 defeat against the Tampa Bay Rowdies.[12] In the next game, on May 14, Palomino scored his first goal for the Independence against Charleston Battery, his 12th-minute goal being the first in a 3–0 victory.[12] He ended the regular season with 6 goals and 1 assist in 31 appearances, helping Charlotte finish 2nd in the Atlantic Division and qualify for the playoffs.[12][13] After not appearing in Charlotte's first playoff game, he came on as a late substitute in their 2nd, a 1–0 loss to Louisville City in the conference semifinals.[12]
| Club | Season | League | US Open Cup | Playoffs[lower-alpha 1] | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Brazos Valley Cavalry | 2017 | PDL | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | |||
| 2018 | 4 | 4 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 5 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 7 | ||
| Houston Dynamo | 2020 | Major League Soccer | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | 3 | 0 | |||
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Charlotte Independence (loan) | 2021 | USL Championship | 31 | 6 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 32 | 6 | ||
| Houston Dynamo 2 | 2022 | MLS Next Pro | 17 | 7 | — | — | — | 17 | 7 | |||
| Career Total | 58 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 20 | ||
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Houston Dynamo FC – current squad | |
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