Houston Dash
FoundedDecember 11, 2013 (2013-12-11)
StadiumShell Energy Stadium
Houston, Texas
Capacity22,039
Majority ownerTed Segal
PresidentJessica O'Neill
General managerAlex Singer
CoachFran Alonso
LeagueNational Women's Soccer League
202310th of 12
Playoffs: DNQ
WebsiteClub website

The Houston Dash is a professional women's soccer team based in Houston, Texas. It joined the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the 2014 season, and is affiliated with the MLS team Houston Dynamo FC.

History

Establishment

On November 19, 2013, the Houston Dynamo began talks in the initial stages with the intention of bringing a top flight women's professional soccer franchise to Houston.[1] Just a week later, the effort was bolstered when the Dynamo began accepting refundable deposits for a potential NWSL expansion team.[2] On December 11, 2013, the National Women's Soccer League awarded the Houston Dynamo and the city of Houston an expansion franchise.[3]

Team name, crest, and colors

Former logo (2013–2020)

During a press conference on December 12, 2013, Houston Dynamo president Chris Canetti announced that the club would be named the Houston Dash and would share similar colors to the Dynamo: orange, black, and sky blue.[4] The crest features a soccer ball along with the words "Houston Dash" with sky blue lines in the background.[5] The name Dash refers to the fast running speed of a horse, which was a historical mode of transportation for Texans in the 1800s.[5]

Ownership and team management

Houston Dash is owned by the same ownership group as the Dynamo, including majority owner Ted Segal, and minority owners Gabriel Brener, Ben Guill, multiple World and Olympic boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya, and former NBA MVP James Harden.[6]

On December 23, 2013, Former Houston Dynamo player Brian Ching was named managing director, in charge of day-to-day duties on both the business and technical sides of under the supervision of Houston Dash and Dynamo team president Chris Canetti.[7]

On January 3, 2014, Randy Waldrum was named as the Dash's first head coach, having previously coached the Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's soccer team to two national titles since joining the team in 1999.[8]

On May 29, 2017, Waldrum and Houston Dash agreed to part ways. Assistant coach Omar Morales was named interim coach.[9]

On November 27, 2017, Vera Pauw was hired as the new head coach.[10] On September 20, 2018, Pauw departed from the club.[11]

On December 11, 2018, James Clarkson was hired as the new head coach.[12]

On February 2, 2022, the Dash announced the hiring of Jessica O'Neill as the team's first president, a role tasked with increasing revenue and serving as the team's spokesperson to the NWSL on league matters.[13]

On April 26, 2022, the NWSL and NWSLPA recommended coach James Clarkson should be suspended while they conducted "an investigation into alleged violations of the NWSL Policy to Prevent and Eliminate Workplace Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying".[14] On April 27, 2022, the Houston Dash announced that it was immediately suspending James Clarkson pending the conclusion of the joint investigation by the NWSL and NWSLPA that was launched in 2021.[15]

On April 29, 2022, the Houston Dash announced that Sarah Lowdon would serve as the acting head coach while the club conducted its search for an interim head coach.[16] On June 15, 2022, the Dash named former Real Betis Féminas and Tottenham Hotspur coach Juan Carlos Amorós as its interim head coach. Lowdon continued as acting head coach pending Amorós's visa approval.[17]

On August 25, 2022, the Dash announced that majority owner Ted Segal bought out the stakes of minority owners Gabriel Brener, Oscar De La Hoya, and Ben Guill.[18]

On December 14, 2022, the Dash released a public statement declaring the club would not renew the contract with James Clarkson, which had an expiration date of the end of 2022, after reports concluded that his "actions constituted emotional misconduct."[19] Sam Laity was hired as the next head coach on December 21, 2022,[20] and fired on September 6, 2023.[21]

Shell Energy Stadium is the current home of the Houston Dash and Dynamo.

Stadium

The Dash play their games at Shell Energy Stadium, formerly known as BBVA Stadium, which opened in May 2012, and features a 22,039-seat capacity. For the team's inaugural season, 7,000 seats in the lower seating bowl are available for home games.[22] When the stadium opened in 2012, it became the first soccer-specific stadium in Major League Soccer located in a city's downtown district.[23]

Players and staff

Current squad

As of December 18, 2023[24]
No. Pos. Player Nation
0 GK Emily Alvarado  Mexico
1 GK Jane Campbell  United States
2 DF Allysha Chapman  Canada
4 DF Natalie Jacobs  United States
5 DF Courtney Petersen  United States
6 MF Havana Solaun  Jamaica
7 FW María Sánchez  Mexico
8 FW Nichelle Prince  Canada
11 FW Diana Ordóñez  Mexico
13 MF Sophie Schmidt  Canada
15 MF Bárbara Olivieri  Venezuela
17 MF Sarah Puntigam  Austria
21 FW Ryan Gareis  United States
22 FW Michelle Alozie  Nigeria
23 DF Ally Prisock  United States
25 DF Katie Lind  United States
30 MF Sophie Hirst  United States
31 DF Madelyn Desiano  United States
37 DF Jyllissa Harris  United States
77 MF Andressa  Brazil
— MF Belle Briede  United States

Staff

As of December 22, 2023.[25][26]
Executive
Chairman Ted Segal
Vice chairman Lyle Ayes
President Jessica O'Neill
General manager Alex Singer
Technical
Head coach. Spain Fran Alonso[27]
First Assistant coach Vacant
Assistant coach Ricky Clarke
Goalkeeping coach Matt Lampson
Performance analyst Michael Poma
Assistant coach and video analyst Hiro Suzuki
High performance coach United States Corey Ashe

Head coach history

Name Tenure
Randy Waldrum January 3, 2014 – May 29, 2017
Omar Morales (interim) May 29, 2017 – November 27, 2017
Vera Pauw November 27, 2017 – September 20, 2018
James Clarkson December 11, 2018 – April 26, 2022
Sarah Lowdon (acting) April 29, 2022 – July 12, 2022[28][29]
Juan Carlos Amorós (interim) July 12, 2022 – October 28, 2022[30]
Sam Laity December 21, 2022 – September 6, 2023[20][21]
Sarah Lowdon (interim) September 6, 2023[21] – December 4, 2023[31]
Fran Alonso December 22, 2023[27] –

Seasons

Season NWSL regular season Position NWSL
Playoffs		 NWSL Challenge Cup
P W L D GF GA Pts
2014 245163234418 9th DNQ Not played
2015 20686212624 5th DNQ Not played
2016 206104292922 8th DNQ Not played
2017 247143233924 8th DNQ Not played
2018 249105353932 6th DNQ Not played
2019 247125213626 7th DNQ Not played
2020 NWSL season not contested Champions
2021 249105213132 7th DNQ Group Stage
2022 221066352736 4th First Round Group Stage
2023 22688161826 10th DNQ Group Stage

DNQ = Did not qualify

Honors

Broadcasting

During the 2014 season, games were broadcast locally on CSN TV in Houston.[32] It was the second local television broadcast agreement in the NWSL's history.[33] On August 6, 2014, DirecTV and AT&T proposed a reorganization plan, in which it would acquire CSN Houston in a 60/40 joint venture. At the time, AT&T was in the process of acquiring DirecTV, pending regulatory approval.[34] The reorganization offer was approved by the court on October 30, 2014, although Comcast appealed the decision in order to address a $100 million loan that had been given to the network. Attorneys from the companies involved reached an agreement to allow the deal to continue through Comcast's appeals process. The Rockets' general counsel Rafael Stone stated that the approval gave a "clear path" for the network to return to full-time service in November, and transition to DirecTV's Root Sports brand, and the network subsequently cancelled all of its existing studio shows on October 22, 2014.[35][36][37] Select Houston Dash matches continued to be aired on Root Sports through the 2015[38] and 2016 seasons.[39][40]

As of the 2017 season, Dash games were streamed exclusively by Go90 for American audiences and via the NWSL website for international viewers.[41] As part of a three-year agreement with A&E Networks, Lifetime broadcasts one NWSL Game of the Week on Saturday afternoons.[42][43] For the 2017 season, the Dash were featured in five nationally broadcast Lifetime NWSL Game of the Week broadcasts on May 6, May 3, and September 23, 2017.[44]

In July 2022, the club announced plans to broadcast matches locally on AT&T SportsNet Southwest (rebranded to Space City Home Network as of October 2023), the team's first local agreement since 2016.[40]

See also

References

  1. ↑ de Jesus Ortiz, Jose (November 19, 2013). "Dynamo pursue expansion franchise in women's league". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  2. ↑ Farley, Richard (November 21, 2013). "Houston Dynamo accepting refundable deposits for potential NWSL expansion team, and why it's a no-brainer for the league". NBC Sports. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  3. ↑ Berman, Mark (December 11, 2013). "Houston and Dynamo land National Women's Soccer League team". KRIV. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  4. ↑ Lovell, Darrell (December 13, 2013). "Houston Dynamo president Chris Canetti: Houston Dash's formation "will make soccer stronger"". Houston Dynamo. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Houston Dynamo launch Houston Dash as expansion member of National Women's Soccer League". Houston Dynamo. December 12, 2013. Archived from the original on May 1, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Houston Dynamo FC welcomes real estate developer as new owner". abc13.com. KTRK. July 9, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  7. ↑ Brian Ching named Houston Dash managing director Archived July 9, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Houston Dash Communications, December 23, 2013
  8. ↑ Dash hire highly-acclaimed coach from Notre Dame to be their first head coach Archived January 3, 2014, at the Wayback Machine, My FOX Houston, January 3, 2014
  9. ↑ Purdy, Jacqueline. "Houston Dash, Randy Waldrum part ways". NWSL. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Dash hire Dutch legend Vera Pauw as head coach". chron.com. November 27, 2017. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Houston Dash Coach Vera Pauw Departs Club to Return to Holland | Houston Dynamo".
  12. ↑ "Houston Dash name James Clarkson as head coach". houstondynamo.com. December 11, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Houston Dash hire sports marketing executive Jessica O'Neill as team president". www.HoustonDynamoFC.com. Houston Dynamo. February 2, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  14. ↑ "NWSL and NWSLPA Joint Investigation Update". www.NWSLSoccer.com. National Women's Soccer League. April 26, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022. an investigation into alleged violations of the NWSL Policy to Prevent and Eliminate Workplace Discrimination, Harassment, and Bullying
  15. ↑ "Houston Dash Announce Suspension of Head Coach and General Manager James Clarkson". www.HoustonDynamoFC.com. Houston Dash. April 27, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  16. ↑ "Houston Dash name Sarah Lowdon acting head coach". www.HoustonDynamoFC.com. Houston Dash. April 29, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
  17. ↑ "Houston Dash name Juan Carlos Amorós as interim head coach". www.HoustonDynamoFC.com. Houston Dynamo. June 15, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  18. ↑ Araiza, Victor (August 25, 2022). "Houston Dynamo and Dash owner Ted Segal buys out Gabriel Brener, Oscar De La Hoya and Ben Guill". The Striker. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Houston Dash Statement on Joint Investigative Team Report". houstondynamofc.com. December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
  20. 1 2 "Houston Dash name Sam Laity as head coach | Houston Dynamo". houstondynamofc.
  21. 1 2 3 "Houston Dash part ways with head coach" (Press release). Houston Dynamo. September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
  22. ↑ Lauletta, Dan (December 12, 2013). "It's official — Houston Dash to join NWSL for 2014". Equalizer Soccer. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  23. ↑ Major League Soccer, L.L.C. "Dynamo Stadium 2012". Houston Dynamo. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Dash Players". Houston Dynamo. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Houston Dynamo FC". houstondynamofc.
  26. ↑ "Staff | Houston Dash". houstondynamofc.
  27. 1 2 "Fran Alonso to lead Houston Dash as next head coach". HoustonDynamoFC.com. Houston Dash. December 22, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  28. ↑ Lloyd-Hughes, Theo (July 16, 2022). "Intensity, energy and counter-pressing: Amoros' first week as Dash boss". The Striker. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  29. ↑ Roesch, Louis (July 11, 2022). "Juan Carlos Amoros to take the Houston Dash interim head coaching duties on Tuesday". Orange in the Oven. Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  30. ↑ @HoustonDash (October 28, 2022). "Thanks @JuanC_Amorosfor his energy and passion in serving as our interim head coach since July" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  31. ↑ Montaño, Alvaro (December 4, 2023). "Interim coach Sarah Lowdon leaves Dash". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  32. ↑ "Houston Dash unveil local television broadcast schedule" (Press release). Houston Dynamo. March 17, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  33. ↑ Kassouf, Jeff (March 18, 2014). "All 12 Dash home games to air on CSN Houston". The Equalizer. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  34. ↑ David Barron (August 6, 2014). "AT&T, DirecTV to take over Comcast SportsNet Houston". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
  35. ↑ Mike Reynolds (October 22, 2014). "CSN Houston Chap. 11 Closing Arguments Now Oct. 30". Multichannel News. NewBay Media. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
  36. ↑ David Barron (November 6, 2014). "All systems go for Root launch after CSNH legal hurdles cleared". Houston Chronicle. Hearst Corporation.
  37. ↑ David Barron (November 14, 2014). "Root Sports Houston to make Rockets debut on Monday". Houston Chronicle (Ultimate Rockets). Hearst Corporation.
  38. ↑ Kaiser, Hal (July 11, 2015). "Historic Houston Dash Broadcast on Root Sports". Keeper Notes. Archived from the original on July 18, 2015.
  39. ↑ "Houston Dash Open Season Saturday at BBVA Compass Stadium" (Press release). Houston Dash. OurSports Central. April 15, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  40. 1 2 "AT&T SportsNet Southwest to broadcast two Houston Dash games" (Press release). Houston Dash. July 28, 2022. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  41. ↑ "NWSL, go90 announce exclusive streaming partnership". Black and Red United (SBNation). Vox Media. April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  42. ↑ "Lifetime To Air National Women's Soccer League Games As A+E Networks Kicks In For Equity Stake". Deadline.com. February 2, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  43. ↑ "A+E Networks, National Women's Soccer League Ink Major Deal". Variety. February 2, 2017. Retrieved February 3, 2017.
  44. ↑ "Houston Dash to host three nationally televised games in 2017". Houston Dynamo. March 30, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
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