Houston Dash head coach Vera Pauw talks to her team in a preseason practice (Photo by Jose Castellanos).
New Dash coach Vera Pauw will have an important challenge in her career as she tries to take her Texas team to its first playoff appearance in the club’s history. The organization will also have an important challenge after moving pieces during the offseason, acquiring young and talented players who will be replacing big names such as Carli Lloyd and Janine Beckie, who left the team to join Sky Blue FC.
More big news from the Dash came as their newly acquired federation player Christen Press has not reported to the team with rumors swirling that she’ll be heading to Seattle. According to multiple reports she did not want to be traded to Houston, therefore she won’t report to the team. Club’s president Chris Canetti told media her official status with the team is a holdout player. The uncertainty of Press not joining the team has created some discomfort with the new coach. “It is a distraction because we want her here, but we deal with the players that are here. As you’ve seen on the pitch, the players are not affected by it at all.” Pauw added.
Pauw also explained the best quality of the team saying, “Teamwork and the balance of the team. There’s a great balance at this moment. We have all the different qualities to create teamwork and there’s a lot of diversity in the team and that is also one of the key aspects that I liked so much when I visit the team in November the first time. I came in, I saw diversity and diversity makes the team strong, makes the club strong, makes the company strong and as you see on the pitch we have a broad range of variety of skills in the team. I am confident that that variety based on teamwork will bring us points.”
Houston announced the Week 1 roster prior to their season opener, which is on Sunday March 25, when they host the Chicago Red Stars. The roster includes nine players who are returning from last season’s team: goalkeepers Jane Campbell and Bianca Henninger; defenders Amber Brooks and Janine Van Wyk; midfielders Claire Falknor and Kristie Mewis; and forwards Rachel Daly, Kealia Ohai and Nichelle Prince. Also, the team acquired in the NWSL Dispersal Draft earlier this spring forward Kyah Simon, defender Lotta Okvist and goalkeeper Sammy Jo Prudhomme.
Completing the 19-active roster for Week 1 are: Thembi Kgatlana, Michaela Hahn, Linda Motlhalo, Savannah Jordan, Lindsay Agnew, Melaena Shim, and Allison Wetherington who joined the team for this season.
Even though the team has many challenges for this 2018, the most important goal should be to build the foundation for the continual growth of the organization under Pauw. However, coaches and players know they are in a position where qualifying for the playoffs is a real option. They have put the pieces together and now they need to perform accordingly. Houston fans wait to see an improvement from past years and everyone in the organization is sure it can happen this season.
Houston Dash
