Gilberto Rivera, a former midfielder for the San José State Spartans men’s soccer team, has signed with Houston Dynamo 2 for the 2026 season in MLS NEXT PRO. The club made the announcement on Saturday.
Rivera was selected by Houston Dynamo in the third round as the 88th overall pick during the 2026 MLS SuperDraft held last December. He is now one of eight Spartans to be drafted into Major League Soccer and joins Beau Leroux, currently with San Jose Earthquakes, as one of only two Spartans drafted since 2003.
During his college career at San José State, Rivera played an important role over three seasons. He helped lead his team to consecutive appearances in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament Championship games in both 2024 and 2025.
In his most recent season, Rivera earned several honors: he was named to the First Team All-Far West Region and First Team All-WAC, and also secured a spot on the WAC All-Tournament Team. Rivera started all 19 matches in 2025, scoring two goals and providing eight assists.
Over his collegiate career, Rivera accumulated three goals and ten assists while starting every match he played during his junior year and logging a total of 1,648 minutes on the field.
