Houston Dynamo sign former Premier League star after season-ending injury
Houston Dynamo has secured the services of former Premier League and MLS goalkeeper Jonathan Bond from Watford following Andrew Tarbell's season-ending injury in March
MLS Western Conference strugglers Houston Dynamo has announced the signing of former England U21 international goalkeeper Jonathan Bond from EFL Championship side Watford through the end of the 2026 season, with a further option for 2027.
He joins the Texan team for an undisclosed fee. The 31-year-old signs as a season-ending injury replacement player, after Andrew Tarbell was forced to undergo surgery following a knee injury sustained in Houston’s 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake in March. What’s more, Tarbell’s initial replacement, Jimmy Maurer, is also sidelined with an injury that saw him substituted during the Dynamo’s recent 0-0 draw with the Seattle Sounders.
Rookie Blake Gillingham has since taken over in goal just a month into his first season in the MLS. However, it now looks likely the 22-year-old will return to the bench to watch and learn from veteran Bond. Meanwhile, Lionel Messi is close to signing a new contract at Inter Miami.
“Jonathan is an experienced goalkeeper who is comfortable playing out of the back, commands his penalty area and wins games with his shot stopping ability,” Dynamo President of Soccer Pat Onstad said. “With over 200 games in his career, including three seasons in Major League Soccer, he gives us another valuable option at the goalkeeper position. We look forward to welcoming Jonathan and his family to Houston.”
Since breaking through as a youngster at Watford’s academy, he has gone on to play throughout the English soccer pyramid for the likes of Reading, Gillingham, and Peterborough United. He also spent three years on the books with West Bromwich Albion, including the first half of the 2020 season during their brief return to the Premier League.
Bond was then sold to LA Galaxy in January 2021, going on to spend the next three seasons as the starter at Dignity Health Sports Park, reaching the playoff quarter-final in 2022. All in all, he made 92 appearances for LA recording 16 clean sheets before his contract was mutually terminated in February 2024.
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A return to Vicarage Road followed, with Bond having made 13 appearances across all competitions this season for the Championship side before sealing his U.S. comeback.
Bond will now look to help Houston climb their way back up the Western Conference after a tough start to the season for Ben Olsen’s side who currently find themselves 13th in the West with a 1-2-4 record. However, things are beginning to look up, with Houston having won its first game of the season on April 5, beating the reigning Open Cup champions Los Angeles FC 1-0 at Shell Energy Stadium.
The Dynamo are scheduled to take on the Galaxy on Saturday, with the current MLS Cup champions also struggling for form this season having gone winless through their first seven games, leaving them bottom of the West. Whether or not Bond will make his debut at his former home remains unclear.