The Houston Dynamo have extended the contract of star midfielder Dwayne De Rosario, the team announced in a Monday morning press conference. The deal keeps the perennial MVP candidate in an orange jersey through 2010, while also giving the 29-year old a hefty raise.

Pay had been the major sticking point in early negotiations, with De Rosario rejecting the league's initial offer in April, but the two sides reached an agreement in May that boosts the Canadian international's salary by 58%, to just under $325,000 in guaranteed compensation for 2007.

The extension was kept secret at the request of De Rosario, who asked that the announcement not be made until after his return from the Gold Cup. "I wanted to keep it quiet and (announce) it at an appropriate time, when it would not be a distraction to the players or myself," he told the Houston Chronicle.

De Rosario has notched three goals in 12 games this season for the Dynamo, helping the team climb into first place in the Western Conference on the strength of an eight-game unbeaten streak.

He has tallied 41 goals and 36 assists in his MLS career, beginning in 2001 with the San Jose Earthquakes and continuing in Houston after the team's relocation in 2006.