Moni's Excellent Night With The Houston Dash

Been a rough week for me, and I got the opportunity thanks to Mike Craig to knock things off my Houston bucket list.  

I got the opportunity to on a cooler than normal Saturday night to not only check out BBVA Compass Stadium for the first time, but watch the Houston Dash play.

It was the first time since 2001 I'd gotten the opportunity to see a Houston based women's professional sports franchise play a game since the dearly departed Houston Comets played WNBA games in the former arena that is now Joel Osteen's sanctuary.

That's another post and another sport, so back to focusing on our femme footballers.

The opposition for the Dash was the Western New York Flash, and the Dash were missing six total players who were doing Women's World Cup duty for the USA and Canadian squads.  Carli Lloyd, Meghan Klingenberg and Morgan Brian were playing for Team USA and Erin McLeod, Lauren Sesselman and Allysha Chapman for the host Canadians. 

The Dash coming into this game were on a bit of a hot streak, having gone unbeaten in four straight games and looking to extend that streak in this World Cup shortened 2015 NWSL season in which every match is critical and only the top four teams make the playoffs.

My seats were in section 110, in the corner where I could along with the rest of the peeps who came see the corner kicks and all the action developing in front of goal.  We.also had a Latino guy in our section named Carlos who was attending the game as an early Father's Day gift from his wife and he was making this even more fun.

It took a while but we were finally rewarded with a Dash goal in the 24th minute as Jessica McDonald headed the ball into the upper left hand corner for her 5th goal of the season and a 1-0 Dash lead they would take into halftime.

The party continued for us and Carlos as Kealia Ohai, the sister in law of Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing, scored her third goal of the season in the 63th minute to build a 2-0 lead and grant Carlos' wish for a Dash victory, three points in the standings and just one point away from first place.

Carlos even got us and the 3,400 peeps in attendance after several tries to do the wave.

Mike had another surprise for us when the game was over and we got to meet a Dash player after the match.

That player turned out to be Dash forward Ella Masar.   She signed autographs and took photos with us to cap off a thoroughly enjoyable evening for me and my crew.

Can't wait to check out another Dash game, and the next time it'll be when all of our players doing World Cup duty will be back.

Houston Dash Are Undefeated!

The Houston Dash, our women's soccer team that is the sister club of the Houston Dynamo, started their second NWSL season back on April 10.

This is a 2015 season in which all the NWSL clubs will play only 20 games instead of 24 matches because of the FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada this June.

One goal of the 2015 Dash was to improve on the 5-16-3 last place finish during their maiden NWSL campaign, in which an expansion team put together in only 90 days was competitive in many of the matches they eventually lost.

Another goal of the Dash was to improve the quality of players on the team.  They added Team USA veteran Carli Lloyd along with Morgan Brian and Irish national team forward Stephanie Roche in the off season to their retooled lineup that also includes Canadian national team members Erin McLeod and Lauren Sesselmann

They opened at BBVA Compass Stadium with a 2-0 win over the Washington Spirit, who were a 2014 NWSL playoff team.  Carli Lloyd didn't waste any time in her Dash debut, scoring the team's opening goal in first half extra time in the win over the Spirit.

They traveled to New Jersey to take on Sky Blue FC and came from behind to get a 1-1 draw.  

This season is off to a great start, and let's hope they can keep it up when they travel to Boston on April 26 to take on the Breakers.

Carli Lloyd's Coming To H-Town!

I see the Houston Dash were serious about putting a competitive team on the field after a challenging inaugural NWSL season that saw them finish last in the league.

The team recently announced they had acquired via a trade with the Western New York Flash US national team star Carli Lloyd in exchange for midfielder Becky Edwards, defender Whitney Engen and a 2016 NWSL third round college draft choice.

That's a lot for Lloyd, since Edwards and Engen were probably two of the best players on the Dash in the team's maiden season and Lloyd is going to be busy for a month in Canada next year during the World Cup.  But Houston Dash Managing Director Brian Ching believes the deal to acquire her services was worth it..

“She’s a household name when it comes to the US women’s national team. It’s going to help build our brand even more. These are the types of players we want to go after, these are the types of players we feel need to be playing here in Houston, especially if we want to be considered one of the best clubs around.

“We feel that to pick up a Carli Lloyd, it makes your team 100 times better and we’re a team that is looking to compete for the championship. She’s the kind of player that we can build a team around while she is here.”

We'll see what other moves Brian Ching has in store for the Dash to fulfill their goal of turning the team into a perennial NWSL playoff squad, but Dash games at BBVA Compass Stadium just got a little more interesting.

Houston Dash Play Inaugural NWSL Match Tonight

It's the day we women's soccer fans have been waiting for ever since we found out in December we would be getting a National Women's Soccer League expansion franchise in Houston. 

The Houston Dash will run onto the pitch at BBVA Compass Stadium later tonight for their first ever match against the NWSL champion Portland Thorns FC.  Interest in the game is high enough that the Dash are working on a sellout of the game and have opened up the upper bowl of BBVA Compass for ticket sales..

Their home games are also being broadcast on local television.   The Dash are the second NWSL squad to have a local television deal.  

Head Coach Randy Waldrum wants to put an exciting attacking squad on the field, and that has been the case in the Dash's preseason matches.   

As the Dash's roster took shape, we ended up with Canadian national team members Lauren Sesselmann (who is hurt right now) and goalkeeper Erin McLeod and Mexican national team member Teresa Noyola via trades, and interestingly enough via the NWSL draft with the second overall pick the sister-in-law of Texans linebacker Brian Cushing in Kealia Ohai  

Now the level of competition ramps up from the upper level college teams they played in preseason .  The Dash will get a major measuring test of where they are when they face off against the Thorns, who like themselves are also affiliated with an MLS team..  

Despite their expansion status, the Dash players have set lofty goals and are aiming to be one of the four teams left standing for the playoffs when their inaugural 24 game NWSL regular season concludes.

They are not only being watched by Houston sports fans, but other teams in MLS who are considering starting their own NWSL affiliated women's teams from scratch like the Dynamo did.with the Dash.

Best of luck in tonight's opener and hope it's a successful debut.  

TransGriot Update:  The Dash had a tying goal in stoppage time wiped out by a questionable offsides call and lost 1-0 to the Thorns 

Houston Dash Lineup Starting To Take Shape

One of the things we Houston sports fans will get to look forward to in 2014 is the April 12 start of the inaugural season of our new team in the National Women's Soccer League, the Houston Dash.

The NWSL has been set up as the top echelon women's pro soccer league in North America and is supported by the national soccer federations of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

It has the ultimate goal of building a elite level league for the top women's national players of Canada, Mexico and the USA to play in when they are not competing for their national clubs in the Olympics or the FIFA Women's World Cup.

The Dash are the new expansion kids on the NWSL block, and as the sister organization of the MLS Houston Dynamo, will play their home games at BBVA Compass Stadium.  Retired Houston Dynamo legend Brian Ching was named the Managing Director of the team on December 23. 


Randy Waldrum, the former coach of Notre Dame's women's team, was subsequently hired to become the first head coach of the Houston Dash on January 3.   Waldrum led Notre Dame to two NCAA titles in 2004 and 2010 and was the NCAA runner up in 1999, 2006 and 2008.

Three players were initially assigned to the Dash by national team allocation.   Forward Melissa Tancredi from Canada, defender Whitney Engen from the USA and midfielder Teresa Noyola from Mexico.  Melissa Tancredi was subsequently traded to the Chicago Red Stars on January 6 for fellow Canadian goalkeeper Erin McLeod.  

The Dash get the opportunity today to select their core roster players for their inaugural season today.  The NWSL expansion draft is taking place as I post this in which the Dash will be allowed to select up to ten unprotected players from the existing eight NWSL club.

On January 17 the 2014 NWSL Collegiate Draft will take place in Philadelphia.   The Dash will have the second overall election in the first round, and the first picks in the second, third and fourth rounds.

There are rumors that Alex Morgan, who lives here in Houston, is interested in playing for the Dash.  However, she is one of the protected players on the NWSL champion Portland Thorns and there is no way they are letting her go to the Dash if that rumor is true without some major compensation. 

Knowing the Dynamo temperament, they will probably build the Dash in their image.  They will build the club through the draft, make key trades that improve the club like the Erin McLeod for Tancredi swap is evidence of, and when they can afford it, get a free agent that fits with their style of play. 

Hope they choose wisely and looking forward to watching the Dash play at BBVA Compass Stadium this spring and summer.  Not expecting a miracle since they are an expansion club, but if they make the NWSL playoffs this year, cool.   

Houston Has A New Women's Pro Soccer Team!

Another team joins our lineup of professional sports franchises in the Houston area and will start play in April.   Even cooler is the fact they are a women's professional spots team. 

They are the Houston Dash, our new expansion team in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) that started play earlier this year.

“We are thrilled to have our very own NWSL franchise here in Houston,” said Houston Dynamo president Chris Canetti in a statement. “It is an important addition to our sports landscape and will bring added value to our community.”

The NWSL has been set up as the top echelon women's pro soccer league in North America and is supported by the national soccer federations of the United States, Canada, and Mexico with the goal of building a elite level league for their top national players to play in when they are not competing in the Olympics or the FIFA Women's World Cup.

it also has the goal of building the women's game in these nations and developing talented players for future national teams in Canada, Mexico and the US. 

The NWSL's originating eight teams are the Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Kansas City, Portland Thorns FC, Seattle Reign FC, Sky Blue FC (New Jersey), Washington Spirit and the Western New York Flash (Rochester, NY). 

The NWSL features 23 members of the US women's national team, including stars of the team that won the gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London, including: Heather O'Reilly (Boston Breakers); Amy LePeilbet and Shannon Boxx (Chicago Red Stars); Nicole Barnhart, Amy Rodriguez, Becky Sauerbrunn and Lauren Holiday (FC Kansas City); Rachel Buehler, Alex Morgan and Tobin Heath (Portland Thorns FC); Megan Rapinoe, Hope Solo and Sydney Leroux (Seattle Reign FC); Kelley O'Hara and Christie Rampone (Sky Blue FC); Ali Krieger (Washington Spirit); and Carli Lloyd and Abby Wambach (Western New York Flash).

The NWSL's Canadian national team stars include Diana Matheson (Washington Spirit); Desiree Scott and Lauren Sesselmann (FC Kansas City); and Christine Sinclair (Portland Thorns FC).

The NWSL players from Mexico's national women's team includes Maribel Dominguez (Chicago Red Stars); Renae Cuellar (Washington Spirit); Teresa Noyola (FC Kansas City); and Monica Ocampo (Sky Blue FC).

In the inaugural NWSL Championship game the Portland Thorns defeated the top seeded Western New York Flash 2-0 in Rochester.

But back to talking about the Houston Dash.    

The Dash are the NWSL's first ever expansion club and are the second in the league after the Thorns supported by an MLS club.   The Dash are owned by the same group that owns the Houston Dynamo

The Dash will train at the Dynamo's complex and play their 12 home games at BBVA Compass Stadium.

They are currently looking to hire their head coach and unveil their uniforms for the upcoming 2014 season later.

As for the inaugural season roster of the Houston Dash, the 18-20 woman roster for the inaugural team will be filled by allocation of players from the U.S., Canada and Mexico national teams, the expansion draft, the January 17 NWSL collegiate draft, and other discovery signings.

The only thing I wish they'd done is given the fans an opportunity to choose the nickname, but I can understand the Dynamo brass reluctance to do so after the Houston 1836 drama. 

Should be fun to watch a women's pro sports team here in H-town for the first time since the Houston Comets (sniff sniff) departed the scene and looking forward to checking out some of their games when I can.