© Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
The last time the Houston Dash won their opening game of the season was in 2017, when goals from club legends Kealia Watt and Rachel Daly saw off the Chicago (then-Red) Stars. Last Friday’s opening day 2-1 loss to the Washington Spirit therefore continued a long-running trend.
Yet while the outcome was familiar, the big story here was not the result, but a performance that suggests the Dash have finally got their game face on.
One game in, and this season already presents a stark contrast to its predecessor. Last year, Houston hired Fran Alonso, whose stated aim was to “implement a brave, exciting, dynamic and dominant style of play”. He brought the system he’d enjoyed success with at Celtic in Scotland to the United States, but didn’t have the squad for it. Players were out of position, the soccer was incoherent and ineffective, and an opening 5-1 defeat away to the North Carolina Courage was a warning sign of a tough campaign ahead.
It was exciting alright, just not for Dash supporters.
Within three months, Alonso was mysteriously absent. By October he was gone, and Houston rang the changes. Fabrice Gautrat came in as his successor, and the difference in language and approach was immediately obvious. Where Alonso talked of entertainment, winning and a specific style, Gautrat spoke of building a culture, improving the standards in training, developing players and ensuring clarity in every game scenario. Alonso zoned in on form; Gautrat on function.
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