Brazilian midfielder Alex has parted ways with the Houston Dynamo, signing with South Korean second-division side Suwon FC on Wednesday after six seasons in MLS.
Named the Dynamo’s team MVP in their difficult 2016 season after bagging five goals and two assists, Alex was a key contributor in Houston’s dramatic resurgence last year. He notched two goals and 11 assists as the Orange rose from the Western Conference basement to earn a berth in the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs, where they made an underdog run to the conference championship stage before falling to the Seattle Sounders.
Alex spent his first three years in MLS with the Chicago Fire, whom he joined as a free agent in 2012. But he truly found his feet in Houston, though his role shifted and diminished somewhat after the midseason arrival of Argentinean playmaker Tomas Martinez last year.
Alex’s contract expired at the end of the season and the Houston Chronicle reported that the Dynamo sought for several months to re-sign him to a new deal, adding that Suwon FC tendered a higher wage offer to secure his signature.
Founded in 2003 and fully professional since 2012, Suwon earned promotion to the K League Classic in 2016 only to be relegated in their first and only season in the top flight.