Winning the first title in club’s history for the Houston Dash was not an accident. The club that spent most of its lifetime attempting to build a team around an experienced US National Team Player, learned the other way around might work better. In the beginning, players such as Carli Lloyd, Morgan Brian, and even Christen Press, who declined to play for Houston, were thought to be the solution for the NWSL 2014 expansion franchise. However, none of it worked out.

In the second year, coach James Clarkson, who has been one key in building a winning mentality in this club, saw an opportunity to build a TEAM with players that understood playing for the Dash required passion for the game, pride for the city they represent, and a huge opportunity to prove the rest of the league wrong. Proving they could be winners.

Just prior to the 2019 season, Clarkson took this team on with one mission and one mission only, getting to the playoffs. The club was coming off a bad 2018 season where they were close to qualyfing for the playoffs for the first time in club history under coach Vera Pauw. However, the roster that year needed more experienced players and lacked true leadership. Especially since the Dash made a big trade prior to that season, sending Carli Lloyd (among other players) to Sky Blue in return for Christen Press, who was playing for Chicago Red Stars; they were also involved in the trade. Pauw’s idea was to build a team around Press. However, she declined to play for Houston and signed a contract to play oversees. Leaving Houston without Lloyd and not receiving a quality player in return really made it difficult for Pauw. Her team now lacked the leadership and quality needed to get the club to the next level.

During the 2019 season, Clarkson came in and started the process of building the type of team everyone in Houston had been expecting since the team came into the league.  While 2019 was challenging for some teams in the league, as they lost many players for several weeks due to the Women’s World Cup, the Dash did not have any USWNT players. However they did have four Canadian players, one from England, one from Australia, and one from Jamaica.  Losing these key athletes did make everything harder for Clarkson, who was a rookie coach that year. All of the challenges proved too difficult and the club once again did not make the playoffs. However, Clarkson and the club’s staff kept putting in the work. 

There was a busy offseason in Houston last year. They wanted to make sure the team had the right pieces to build a quality team that could compete in 2020. Players such as Shea Groom, who played college at Texas A&M – just two hours away from Houston, Megan Oyster, Katie Naughton, Bri Visalli, and Erin Simon, among others, came to Houston. They were the missing pieces this team needed to work just right. Of course, the team already had talented players like England international Rachel Daly, Kristie Mewis, Jane Campbell, and Canadian Sophie Schmidt. The combination of new and old created the team Houston had been waiting for since 2014. This team went to Utah to face the NWSL Challenge Cup ready to show they were the ones to watch. 

It is true, the Dash arrived to the tournament with a big question mark. At least, that is what everyone outside the circle was seeing. However, the attitude the conveyed and the courage the showed, to go and fight in every match and be accountable to one another, created a bond and a ‘True Team’ from Houston. They became a circle of talent and dedication that did not break. Winning their first title in club history. A history that seems like it is just getting started.