HOUSTON (Jan. 12, 2026) – Houston Dynamo FC signed defender Lucas Halter on a full transfer from Brazilian top-flight team Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas, both clubs announced today. The 25-year-old is signed to a contract through the 2029/30 season with a club option for 2030/31 and will occupy an international roster spot pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC).

Halter will be made available to the media at Houston Sports Park on Thursday, Jan. 15, following Houston’s first preseason training session.

“Lucas arrives as a proven winner and respected leader, having anchored title-winning teams at top clubs in South America,” said President of Soccer Pat Onstad. “As a centerpiece of three title-winning squads, he has shown the ability to anchor a backline and exhibit the kind of leadership and mentality we are committed to bringing into Houston. We are thrilled to welcome him to the Dynamo and confident he will raise the standard both on and off the field as we continue building a team ready to compete for trophies.”

Halter brings extensive experience from Brazil’s top-flight Série A, one of the world’s most prestigious soccer leagues, totaling 219 appearances with Club Athletico Paranaense (2018-22), Goiás Esporte Clube (2022-23), Botafogo (2024-25) and Esporte Clube Vitória (2025). The defender recorded 17 goals and three assists across all four clubs, while helping lead Botafogo to their first-ever Copa Libertadores title and third Série A title in 2024, and Athletico Paranaense to their first Copa do Brasil title in 2019.

In league play, Halter has made 115 appearances across the four teams, netting eight goals and recording two assists. Most recently, the defender finished the 2025 season on loan at Vitória from Botafogo, where he captained all 33 matches he appeared in. He recorded one assist and scored a single-season high four league goals, including a game winning goal against Sport Club Internacional.

The Salto, Brazil native has featured in 45 matches and scored one goal across international and domestic cup competitions, including Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, Copa Verde, Copa do Brasil, Supercopa Rei and Copa do Nordeste. Halter appeared in five of six group stage matches for Botafogo in the 2024 Copa Libertadores, helping the club finish tied for first in their group enroute to winning the tournament. He also played in four of eight matches during Athletico Paranaense’s 2019 Copa do Brasil title run and scored his first domestic cup goal with Goiás in the Copa Verde, opening the scoresheet in the second leg of the tournament’s semifinal.

Halter was part of the Athletico Paranaense academy system from 2016 before making the jump to the senior team in 2019. He made his professional debut in January 2019 in a 2-0 victory versus Rio Branco do Paraná in the Campeonato Paranaense and later made his Série A debut in May 2019 against Sport Club Corinthians Paulista.

At the international level, Halter featured for Brazil’s U-17 national team. He participated in the 2017 CONMEBOL Sudamericano U-17 in Chile, which Brazil won after defeating the host nation 5-0 in the final. The center back started eight of the nine matches in the tournament and scored one goal in a 4-0 victory over Venezuela. Halter also participated in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India, appearing in every match for Brazil and helped lead the team to the semifinals.

TRANSACTION: Houston Dynamo FC signed defender Lucas Halter on a full transfer from Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas to a contract through the 2029/30 season with a club option through 2030/31. Halter will occupy an international roster spot pending receipt of his P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC).