Crowds stand out as first season wraps up
Canadian national team goalkeeper Erin McLeod could tell the Houston Dash had a vibrant future by the strong crowds the National Women’s Soccer League’s expansion club drew this season at BBVA Compass Stadium. Despite the struggles on the pitch, there were always hundreds of smiling little faces asking for autographs and selfies after games, week after week.
As is common with expansion clubs in most professional sports, the Dash took their lumps early and often in 2014.
At the box office, however, the Dash were second in attendance in the nineteam league. Only U.S. national team superstar Alex Morgan’s Portland Thorns, who drew an amazing 13,362 per game, were a bigger hit. The Dash averaged crowds of 4,650. The Seattle Reign, with U.S. national team stars Sydney Leroux and Hope Solo, were a distant third with 3,666 per game.
The attendance is quite impressive considering the Dash didn’t have any of the marquee U.S. women’s national team players. Moreover, team president Chris Canetti and team director Brian Ching had only 90 days to market the team after the NWSL granted Houston an expansion franchise.
“I think that was incredible, to be honest,” McLeod, the Dash captain, said of the fan support. “The stadium and everything about Houston is great. Right now we’re fighting to get out of the last spot of the league, so it shows we have fans who are excited about the team.”
Room to grow
Heading into their final game of the season Wednesday night at Sky Blue FC, the Dash (5-153, 18 points) are last in the NWSL. A victory in the season finale would propel them into eighth place.
“We finished last, so we’re definitely going to be out there in an aggressive way to make some big changes next year,” Ching said. “We know we need to be better on the field, and we’re excited about the opportunity to build a team. Last year was more of just throwing things together.
“We know the level of the league now, and I think we’re going to be extremely more aggressive on going after international players and hopefully getting players from around the league that are (not happy) with their teams and the way things are going.”
Canetti and Ching expect the six-month offseason to be advantageous for the Dash on multiple fronts. The break will help the club market the team for twice as long as the front office could leading up to the inaugural season.
The Dynamo and Dash’s training facility at Hous- ton Sports Park is among the best in the world for a women’s professional team.
“This is a huge recruiting tool for us,” Ching said.
Key players return
The 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada will have an impact on next year’s schedule as teams cope with the loss of their national team players.
That is nothing new to Houston soccer fans, considering they have grown accustomed to celebrating when Dynamo players such as Ching, Brad Davis and Boniek Garcia have left the team for World Cup duty in the past.
When at full strength, the Dash have a good core. Midfielder Becky Edwards, who signed an extension last week, and McLeod were arguably the two most worthy candidates for team MVP this season.
Central midfielder Brittany Bock, who was expected to play a pivotal role in 2014, is expected to be back in 2015 after suffering a torn ACL in the first minutes of the season. Canadian national team defender Lauren Sesselmann is another key player expected to contribute in 2015 after missing this season with a knee injury.
“Overall, I thought the whole Dash inaugural season was a positive,” Canetti said. . “The main thing probably is that it’s got a ton of potential. I know we’re on to something big, and this is just the start.”