On cusp of milestone, Daly keeps growing
Tied for most goals in team history, captain developing as distributor
The next goal Rachel Daly scores will give her sole possession of the all-time lead in Dash history.
With the way her game is evolving, however, in the near future it might be just as likely she gets an assist as it is that she scores a goal.
That future begins Saturday at 6 p.m. when the Dash kick off the regular season with a game against NY/NJ Gotham FC at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.
Daly is tied with former teammate Kealia Watt for the most goals (28) in club history. In Daly’s perfect world, she would break the record on Saturday and the Dash would win. Like most selfless athletes, though, Daly just wants to win.
Luckily for Houston, its captain is unlocking more ways to help the team do that.
Daly has 10 assists in her first five seasons, but she recorded those without emphasizing plays that could put her teammates in great positions to score. That was never more apparent than it was May 1 when the Dash closed the NWSL Challenge Cup with a 1-1 home draw against Portland.
Daly didn’t spend all of her time at the front of the attack, instead choosing moments to come back for the ball. One of those instances led to the Dash’s only goal.
Daly was defended oneon-one in the middle third and faked like she was going backward before quickly turning to go forward. She hit an outside-of-the-foot pass behind the defense that Veronica Latsko ran onto and crossed to Shea Groom in the middle of the penalty area for the goal.
“I like to be on the ball, but I sort of bided my time in that game and thought, ‘Pick the moment to drop in and pick up the ball and let the girls around me run behind,’ ” Daly said. “If I drop in, they have to get forward, and that’s a difference because this year and last year. We were very much on the same page.
“Yeah, I’m viewed as a goal scorer, but for me, it’s how can I play as well? How can I be the person that sets up something for someone else.”
An article written by AmericanSoccerAnalysis.com put Daly’s transformation into numbers.
Through the 2019 season, Daly was consistent in that she created three shots for herself and one shot for a teammate per 96 minutes for a career average of 3.26 shots per 96 minutes.
That number went down to 2.26 shots per 96 minutes in 2020, but the quality of those shots skyrocketed. She had a mark of 0.089 expected goals (xG) in 2019 but improved that to 0.124 xG in 2020.
Perhaps most noteworthy, the average shot assisted by Daly in 2019 had an xG of 0.077. That number rose to 0.14 xG in 2020. Adding six analytics together, Daly had a goals added per 96 minutes mark of 0.08, which led the league for players at her position.
“The bigger part of it is really with her movement and her positioning,” Dash coach James Clarkson said. “And by getting that right and better, she can become more effective in the link of play and get herself in better positions to be able to score more goals.”
The evolving nature of Daly’s game is dependent on how she views the game, something she learned a lot about from former Dash player Carli Lloyd, who now plays for Saturday’s opponent, Gotham FC.
Lloyd, 38, has had a successful and extended career for a variety of reasons. One of the things that keeps her near the top of the U.S. Women’s National team depth chart is her ability to read the game and pick the right spots.
Daly, 30, is seeking the same type of career. If that means paying attention to little details like how center backs and wide midfielders react to certain passes and off-the-ball runs, then she is going to do it because if Daly gains an advanced knowledge of all that, she’ll know where and when to drop into certain spaces to create opportunities for her teammates.
“You have to understand the game,” Daly said. “You’ve got to understand what you can bring. You’ve got to understand what the opposition gives and how you can exploit their weaknesses. I try to pick my moments but also educate myself on other players, and it’s not just me looking at their center backs, but it’s me looking at their midfielders.
“It’s me looking at their fullbacks, my players and how I can offer support for my team. Really, over the last year, two years, I’ve really started to pick up that side of my game and really study and educate myself in different areas of the field.”