Alexander López signs with the Houston Dynamo

The Houston Dynamo today confirmed the signing of Honduran attacking midfielder Alexander López -- or just Alex -- from C.D. Olimpia. Per MLS rules, no specifics about the deal are available, but reports have the Dynamo paying somewhere in the vicinity of $1 million for the 21-year-old.

López will join the team as Young Designated Player, pending the arrival of his P-1 Visa and international transfer certificate.

Paperwork is fun!

López joined Olimpia in 2010 and was a teammate with Dynamo winger Boniek Garcia before his move to Houston. He's earned eight caps with the Honduran National Team and was one of their brightest stars in the 2012 CONCACAF Gold Cup with one assist on four starts in five games.

"We've seen him up close, including last year in Champions League and this year in the Gold Cup," Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear said in a press release from the team. "He is very versatile and a good fit for our team. Chris Canetti and Nick Kowba (the Dynamo's Director of Soccer Operations) deserve credit for staying resilient, along with help from the league, to bring him here. He is a young international with a bright future and I thought he was good at the Gold Cup."

López also played for Honduras in the 2012 Summer Olympics. In 51 career league games for Olimpia he scored 18 goals and had 34 assists.

Dynamo president Chris Canetti expressed his excitement about bringing Alex to the team.

"Alex is a young, exciting player that Dom has targeted for some time, and an excellent addition for both our short and long-term outlook. We look forward to welcoming him to our club and community as soon as possible."

In case you're curious what a Young Designated Player means, it's a player signed by MLS between the ages of 21 and 23 who receives a Designated Player salary, but has his cap hit reduced in an attempt to encourage teams to sign young, up-and-coming potential stars.

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