Houston Dash 2024 player report cards: Michelle Alozie
(image via Houston Dash)
We’re kicking off our 2024 report card series, recapping each Dynamo and Dash player’s season. We get things started for the Dash with Michelle Alozie. The Nigeria international played a number of positions for Houston this season but never seemed to find her attacking comfort zone.
2024 Grade: C-
2024 by the numbers (NWSL play)
Appearances: 24
Minutes played: 1348
Goals: 0
Assists: 1
G+ per 96: -0.08
2024 in review
(via FBref.com and FBcharts.com)
Alozie came into the 2024 looking to build off her best season as a pro after scoring four goals in 2023. More minutes in 2024 and a bigger role in the offense would surely lead to even more production…but it just never happened.
The Nigeria international was stuck without a position under Fran Alonso early in the season. Alozie has played as a fullback/wing back for her country but Alonso was hesitant to play her there, using her more up front as a striker. She did ultimately get some time as a defender, and also as a winger and an out an out forward.
The dynamic attacking threat just never came from Alozie in 2024 as she ended the season with no goals and just one assist. Like Ibrahim Aliyu on the Dynamo, she is very good at stretching the field, as we can see in her Progressive Passes Received numbers, and is a very good defensive forward. But on a team that had almost no goal scoring threats, the Dash needed much more this season out of their international star.
Moment of the season
Alozie’s one assist this season came in the Dash’s biggest win of the year, a 3-0 win over the North Carolina Courage on May 24. The assist came from what Alozie does best, driving into the box and setting up Barbara Oliveri with a nice cut back pass into the box.
Looking forward
Alozie is under contract for 2025 and 2026, meaning she will be one of the foundational pieces the new regime will look to build around. Depending on who the new coach is and what system they play, that person will first need to figure out where to play Alozie. If the new coach can get her into a system where she can run at defenders and create in the wide areas of the field, the Dash should get a big boost to their attack in 2025.
