Last season, Houston Dash finished the regular NWSL campaign with three successive defeats, missing out on the playoffs by one point and failing to end their long wait for a chance to lift the Championship trophy. Fast forward to now though, and their luck finally seems to be in, with the club currently second in the table, above San Diego Wave on goal difference and trailing leaders Portland Thorns by three points.
This is even more impressive considering the year that the club has had, with head coach James Clarkson suspended at the end of April after alleged misconduct, meaning that assistant coach Sarah Lowdon led the team into the new season and took them on a six-game unbeaten run at one stage. She then went back to become an assistant when Juan Carlos Amorós was appointed as interim head coach and the third person to lead the team in a matter of months, with the Spaniard formerly taking over in the middle of July.
Since then, the Dash have been in outstanding form, picking up three wins and one draw from their first four matches under the former Tottenham Hotspur Women co-manager. They are also playing with an attacking brand of football that has made them difficult to live with, and this tactical analysis will look at exactly what has changed since Amorós, who left Real Betis Féminas in May, arrived in Texas.
The scout report will identify specific areas of their attacking and defensive play and show what has been improved under their new interim head coach, as well as why they are on course for a first playoff campaign in their history.
Playing forwards
The first area of Houston Dash’s play to focus on is their bravery when in possession, which is mostly demonstrated by the way that every player continually looks to move the ball forwards whenever it comes to them. As a result, they have been able to create plenty of chances in the final third and offer a permanent attacking threat, which is one thing that their opponents have struggled to deal with.
Structurally, Houston under Juan Carlos Amorós have tended to play with a front three, giving them a good balance and width in the final third. It has also enabled them to constantly stretch opposing defensive lines out and create gaps in the middle, using the two wingers, normally Mexico international María Sánchez and Canada forward Nichelle Prince, to tease the defenders away from each other and create spaces for Ebony Salmon, who has predominantly been their main centre forward, to operate in.
This is the key point to take here because it is the first example in this analysis that shows how Amorós wants his team to play. In this situation, Racing Louisville have been successfully manipulated and the gaps are now there for not only Salmon but others to use to their advantage. As a result, the Dash have options on the ball, with Ryan Gareis, in possession here, now able to either send an early cross into the middle or run into the gap ahead of her and have a go at goal herself. She opts for the latter on this occasion, and it is this unpredictability that has made Houston such a difficult team to keep out of late, with 10 goals netted by the Dash in Amorós’ four matches in charge (although none of those came in this match, which ended 0-0). Therefore, this is one way in which they have played forwards and become a better attacking side.
