Houston Dash enter 2023 on Cloud 9

(image via Houston Dash)

There really is no place like home. For new Houston Dash forward Diana Ordoñez that mantra has never been more true. After spending her rookie season with the North Carolina Courage, Ordoñez was acquired by the Dash in a draft day trade and now returns to her home state of Texas, having grown up in Prosper, near Dallas-Ft. Worth.

"Returning to Texas was always a goal of mine,” Ordoñez said yesterday speaking to the media. “This sport can take you anywhere and a lot of times it's not within your control, so it was something I prayed about for a long time and really wanted to come back home and be closer to my family. So, I'm feeling super blessed and grateful to be here back in my home state."

Ordoñez finished her rookie season with 11 goals, a record for a NWSL player in their first season. She finished 4th in the Golden Boot race behind just Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith, and Debinha. Ordoñez made her debut for the Mexican national team last year as well, and at just 21-years-old, the sky looks to be the limit for the new Dash striker.

But as Dash fans began to come down from the excitement of the trade to bring Ordoñez to Houston on draft night, thoughts turned to just where Houston’s newest offensive star would play. Ebony Salmon finished just behind Ordoñez in the Golden Boot standings last year with 9 goals and plays as an out and out “number 9”, a center forward who’s job is to find the back of the net. With Nichelle Prince likely out for a chunk of the season with an Achilles injury, it made sense that Ordoñez would slot in to a wide position, opposite her teammate on the Mexican National Team Maria Sanchez.

Ordoñez played briefly as a wide forward/winger for North Carolina last season, but in her eyes, she’s a 9, like Salmon. "I like to think of myself as a true nine,” said yesterday when asked about her playing style. “My size plays a lot into my ability to hold up the ball and being a threat in the box -- especially on crosses -- having that height advantage is definitely something I need to get better at, but I think I did a better job of utilizing it last year. Last year I played a little at the outside forward which wasn't the most comfortable thing for me, but I think it helped me grow as a player and understanding a different position both offensively and defensively. Where I am most comfortable, is as a true nine, being able to hold up the ball and link with my teammates and getting in the box and just getting on the end of crosses and being there for opportunities, picking up the pieces and trying to get the ball in the back of the net."  

When we look at Ordoñez’s stats profile from fbref.com, we can see some of what she mentioned in her answer.

Ordoñez gets a lot of touches in the box and although she doesn’t make a lot of passes, she has a very good completion percentage, meaning she is often on the end of balls in the box that can be laid off to teammates. She mentioned needing to use her height better, at 5 foot 11 she makes a great target for someone like Sanchez who loves to run at players and whip in crosses. Ordoñez won just over 1 aerial per 90 minutes last season and she can definitely improve on that 44th percentile. Ordoñez’s similar players, according to her stats profile, include Ashley Hatch of the Washington Spirit, Kristen Hamilton of the Kansas City Current, and some player at Aston Villa named Rachel Daly.

When we take a look at Salmon’s same profile from fbref.com, we can see quite a difference.

Salmon doesn’t pass. Not that she can’t, that’s just not her game. The English striker is going to run on to the ball, take players on with the ball, and score goals. It’s pretty simple and straightforward, isn’t it?

So, who’s the number 9 for the Houston Dash in 2023 under new head coach Sam Laity? Well, that’s obviously a question for Laity, and one he hasn’t answered yet. A lot is going to depend on just how the team sets up tactically. Salmon and Ordoñez will definitely play together. They’re too good to not have on the field at the same time. Does that mean Ordoñez plays as a winger? Or is it more of a two forward set up with one of the full backs like Caprice Dydasco allowed to get more into the attack as a wing back? With Salmon likely making England’s World Cup team this summer, Ordoñez will have plenty of opportunities to play on her own as a striker.

We’ll have to see just how Laity plays it and how he sets the rest of the team up around them. One thing is for sure, having two strikers, at 21 and 22 years of age, who are proven goal scorers in the league is a great problem to have. You could even say the Houston Dash come into this 2023 season on their own version of “Cloud 9”.