2023 Houston Dash Season Preview
(image via Houston Dash)
A historic 2022 season saw the Houston Dash make the playoffs for the first time in club history. Now they look to build on that success in 2023 with a new head coach and an improved roster. Is another playoff appearance in the cards or perhaps, a trophy?
Houston Dash (2022: 10 wins, 6 draws, 6 losses – 36 points/4th place)
Head coach: Sam Laity
Key additions: GK Devon Kerr, F Diana Ordóñez, M Bárbara Olivieri, D Courtney Petersen, M Havana Solaun
Key losses: F Michaela Abam, M Elizabeth Eddy, F Valerie Gauvin, GK Lindsey Harris, M Bri Visalli
Projected Best XI:
Best offseason move: The draft day trade to acquire Diana Ordóñez was something general manager Alex Singer said she began looking into at the end of last season. The Texas native scored 11 goals in her rookie season, a NWSL record, last year with the North Carolina Courage. Ordóñez joins Ebony Salmon up front in a dynamic strike partnership. Just how Laity lines Ordóñez and Salmon up and how they play together is yet to be seen. Both players have stated that they prefer to play as center forwards. Will the Dash play a 4-4-2? Will Salmon or Ordóñez play on the wing? We’ll have to see on Sunday when the season gets underway.
Biggest strength: The addition of Ordóñez adds to an already potent attack. We mentioned the strike partnership, but the other attacking options are also a strength. Ordóñez’s Mexican National Team teammate Maria Sánchez is poised for a big year with her ability to create scoring opportunities for the two forwards, and herself. Nichelle Prince is injured so the wing opposite Sánchez could be a number of different players. Shea Groom could be pushed wide, or Laity may choose the pace of players like Michelle Alozie or Ryan Gareis. The new Dash gaffer has many options in the attack and whatever combination he chooses will likely produce plenty of goals.
Biggest weakness: Shell Energy Stadium, which was PNC Stadium at the time, was no home sweet home for the Dash in 2022. Houston won just three times at home, losing four and drawing four. For a team that finished fourth in the table, that is quite a remarkable stat. It goes to show just how good they were on the road, winning seven of eleven away from Texas. The Dash even got a home playoff game and ended up losing that. The Dash simply must be better at home this season. It’s unlikely any team can count on winning 65% of their road games again so another run to the playoffs will need to be buoyed by at least five wins at home, ideally more.
Outlook: Expectations are sky high in Houston. NWSL is such a tough league to predict as there is talent across all the rosters, but the Dash will be expected to be as good as they were in 2022, if not better. That seems like a reasonable ask with the additions to the roster and no more coaching carousel during the season. Laity gets his first chance to be a head coach after being an assistant in Seattle since the NWSL began. He’s going to be hungry to show what he can do and has a talented roster to do it with. With an improved home record, I think another 4th place finish is a good goal. This summer’s World Cup will affect a number of teams, but the Dash will have only a few absences, which could help them to pick up points during that time.
