Houston Dash Announce 2015 NWSL Roster
The Houston Dash have announced their initial 18-player roster for the start of the 2015 NWSL season, which begins on Friday, April 10 against the Washington Spirit at BBVA Compass Stadium.
The Dash will be led on Friday by U.S. Women’s National Team players Carli Lloyd, Morgan Brian and Meghan Klingenberg. The opening match will be the first and only opportunity for home fans to see the trio in Houston before they depart for the USWNT camp in preparation for the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
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The 2015 roster also features Canada Women’s National Team players Erin McLeod, Lauren Sesselmann and Allysha Chapman. McLeod earned Dash Player of the Year and Players’ Player of the Year Awards in 2014 as she captained the team in their inaugural season.
The announced roster contains no major surprises, although losing six key players, including top pick Brian will surely hurt. Once the World Cup ends, the Dash will have one of the better collections of Midfielders in the NWSL. Bianca Henninger is more than an adequate backup for McLeod, but the Dash will be relying on reservists to fill many key holes.
2015 Houston Dash Roster
Goalkeepers (2): Erin McLeod, Bianca Henninger
Defenders (7): Rachael Axon, Allysha Chapman, Niki Cross, Meghan Klingenberg, Ella Masar, Stephanie Ochs, Lauren Sesselmann
Midfielders (5): Brittany Bock, Morgan Brian, Jordan Jackson, Carli Lloyd, Ashley Nick
Forwards (4): Melissa Henderson, Tiffany McCarty, Kealia Ohai, Stephanie Roche.
Defender/Midfielder Rachael Axon is being counted on to provide strong leadership and versatility for the Dash.The well-traveled 29-year-old will add experience to a strong-looking Dash midfield that also features U.S, giving HC Danny Waldrum plenty of selection options as he looks to find his optimal line-up and formation before the internationals head off on World Cup duty.
“Clearly she’s going to be vital to the success that we have this year,” the Dash head coach said. “I’ve been extremely pleased with her. I think she’s going to be one of those players that people round the league will wonder, where did she come from? She’s not well known internationally, but she’s done well. She’s got a wealth of experience, her passing qualities are very good and she’s very mobile, she covers a lot of ground, she’s got an engine.”
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Mobile is a good way to describe Axon’s career, too — she’s played in England, the U.S., Canada, Brazil and Norway. After playing with a University of Alabama graduate in England and learning about U.S. college opportunities, she moved across the Atlantic to Birmingham in 2006. She transferred to Oregon State the following year and was a regular starter as well as featuring for Canadian side the Ottawa Fury and for her country at junior levels.
Axon may have flown under the radar for much of her time in college, but Waldrum has been impressed by her tenacity in training and is confident that very soon she’ll be a familiar name in the NWSL. Axon is looking forward to helping the Dash’s playoff push in any way she can.
“I do think I offer experience and maybe a different style of play — I’m somebody who looks to keep the ball and slow the game down whereas in the U.S. it’s typically go, go, go,” she said. “A lot of the girls here offer experience whether it be college or playing abroad. Whatever I can do to help the team, whether it’s to be a leader or sit back, I’ll do.”
Also expected to make an impact is Irish striker Stephanie Roche who brings a nearly flawless technical game to Houston. The Youtube sensation is making her NWSL debut.
About making her NWSL debut, Roche had this to say:“From watching the American league, it’s very physical and athletic and I’m basically a technical player, a flair player I suppose, so I want to improve myself physically, I want to get better as a player and I think being here is the best place to do it. I just want to get sharper, fitter, better and stronger.”
Roche is going to need to provide instant excitement as well as instant offense if the Dash are to make any noise this season after the departure of such key performers during the World Cup prep.
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