Amorós has long-term goals
When the Dash announced Juan Carlos Amorós as the club’s interim head coach Wednesday, more than one third of the way through the NWSL regular season, the timing likely surprised some outside the organization.
But according to Dash president Jessica O’Neill, the decision to hire Amorós was the carefully considered result of a global search that began before the season kicked off.
And for Amorós, who spent the last year and a half coaching in Spain’s top women’s division, saying yes to the Dash was a “no-brainer.”
“The reason for me to be joining Houston — it was quite clear, I think, that I shared the vision of how they embrace women’s soccer and what they see of the club, not only for now but also for the future,” Amorós said.
O’Neill said that as soon as coach James Clarkson’s suspension was announced six days before the May 1 season opener, the club decided — with players and acting coach Sarah Lowdon on board — to begin the search for an interim coach.
O’Neill said Dash players specifically requested that the interim coach be not just a stopgap for the remainder of this season, but a person who could potentially be with the club long-term.
Taking an interim coaching position would appear to involve some risk, but Amorós said the permanence of the job is less important to him than the ability to make an impact.
“It’s maybe different than when you join at the beginning of the year, of the season, but realistically, I don’t look at the job title. I look at the opportunity,” he said. “I think the opportunity to be with the Dash with the project they have in hand, with what they want to do for the players, what they want to do for the staff, for the city, is something I really identify myself with. So I think I’m not really focused on the job title. I’m more focused on the job ahead. It’s very exciting.”
The Dash utilized a search firm and involved Lowdon in the process along with club owner Ted Segal and members of the leadership team, keeping in mind a set of parameters identified by the players.
“We had conversations at the beginning of the process about the profile of the coach that in their mind was what we needed, which was very helpful to have,” O’Neill said. “That’s where we landed on searching for somebody with head coach experience within the women’s leagues and women’s game specifically and at a pro level. … Behind that also was a conversation about beyond the experience, the person and the leadership/communication values component that is so important to any organization, but absolutely in a leadership role like this. And I definitely believe we found that.”
Amorós comes to Houston from Spanish club Real Betis Féminas, where he coached Dash players Michaela Abam and Natalie Jacobs. Before that, he spent 10 years in England coaching Tottenham Hotspur FC Women. His international head coaching experience at the top levels of women’s soccer and enthusiasm about the NWSL seem to check all the boxes for the Dash.
Having coached Americans and former NWSL players in both the Primera Division and the FA Women’s Super League, Amorós said he considers the NWSL the top women’s league in the world and looks forward to adapting to the style of play. He seeks to make the Dash a team that dominates possession and is aggressive on counterattacks.
“I think maybe their style of football is a bit more similar to what England was in terms of a lot of transitions, a lot of athleticism, but I can definitely bring in a little bit of tactical, technical approach to the game,” he said. “I really believe that exploiting our strengths is going to be the key. The team has a lot of players that can do both — can be very good in possession, but at the same time we have a team that can be aggressive with space. We have, as we’ve been showing thanks to the fantastic job that Sarah and the rest of the staff are doing, that we are hard to beat when we are organized defensively.”
Amorós, who is still in Spain and hopes to obtain a U.S. visa by the end of June, said he has already collaborated with Lowdon and the rest of the Dash staff via Zoom calls. Lowdon will remain as acting head coach until Amorós arrives and will thereafter take on an elevated bench role as the club’s first assistant coach.
Whether Amorós stays on after the season will depend on his fit with the Dash, as well as developments in the investigation into Clarkson, which O’Neill reiterated Thursday has no clear timeline.
Amorós remains steadily focused on the season at hand, which he hopes will result in the Dash’s earning a playoff spot for the first time in club history.
“From now on, I’m going to give myself to make sure all the fans in Houston enjoy our football,” Amorós said.