Dash promote James Clarkson to be franchise’s third coach.
Ching appreciates franchise mainstay’s management tactics
New Dash coach James Clarkson is familiar with the organization. He previously worked as the Dynamo’s director of project development. He also coached the Dynamo’s Premier Development League affiliate Brazos Valley Bombers. Prior to that, he was director of the Dynamo Academy.
It was in that role Clarkson’s academy pupils played against Dash personnel when the sides scrimmaged.
On Tuesday, the Dash named Clarkson the team’s third coach in its five-year history.
“One of the things that we wanted to do was find a coach that could make that right connection with players,” Dash managing director Brian Ching said. “You know it’s something I think we’ve lacked in the past. I think we’ve had great coaches who had great soccer minds, but I think that connection with the players wasn’t quite where it needed to be.”
Former coach Vera Pauw left the club when she declined to seek a contract renewal in September so she could return to the Netherlands.
But Pauw’s experience and expertise initially drew Clarkson to the team.
“When Vera first came I knew who she was … just being into coaching myself, I thought, ‘Well, I can learn something from her,’ ” Clarkson said. “I spent time looking at her, seeing how she prepared, seeing how she worked. That got my attention so I spent more time watching the team.”
When Eddie Robinson, his friend and a Dash assistant, joined the club in May, Clarkson began to take a careful look at coaching in the National Women’s Soccer League.
He sees playoff potential in a team that won three of its last five matches to finish sixth — missing the postseason by five points.
He anticipates most of his current players will return next year with the potential for a few additions — some of whom will come as early as next month’s draft.
“We have a lot of work to do preparing for the draft and getting ourselves organized, especially with the World Cup coming up (in France in 2019),” he said. “It’s going to be really important for us to fill out the roster and make sure we’ve got depth and we’re competitive, especially when our national team players are away.”
When Clarkson, 46, called to introduce himself to his players, they asked him about his tactics, coaching philosophy and expectations for playing time.
“Maintaining that attacking play while trying to avoid conceding as many goals and getting a little bit stingier at the back is rightly important. But for me my philosophy has always been, ‘I want to attack,’ ” Clarkson said. “We’ve got to put a product on the field that’s entertaining.”
Ching emphasized the importance of growth and winning.
But more than anything, he was intent on hiring a coach he thought would connect with Dash players.
“You get that feel that he really understands the game,” Ching said. “He’s lived the game and breathed the game from his beginnings, basically, and a lot of that came through in every conversation I had.”