Xavier Valdez

Born in New York City, Valdez began his youth career with Manhattan SC where he played as a winger, and after a growth spurt was switched to a goalkeeper. He moved to Minnesota as a sophomore in high school, and joined Shattuck-Saint Mary's where he continued playing football. After a couple of seasons there, he joined the youth academy at Houston Dynamo in July 2020. On 27 February 2022, he signed a homegrown contract with Houston Dynamo. On November 7, 2024, his contract option was declined by Houston following their 2024 season. On 10 January 2025, Valdez signed with Nashville SC on a one-year contract with club options for both of the following two years.

Valdez was born in the United States to a Dominican father and American mother. In April 2022, he was called up to a training camp for the United States U20s. He played for the Dominican Republic U20s at the 2022 CONCACAF U-20 Championship, where the team finished in second place. He was also called up for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He made his debut with the senior Dominican Republic national team in a friendly 5–0 loss to Chile on 17 June 2023.