Written by Juan Pereira / Foxtrot Media
The Only Constant is Change
For Houston Dash fans, the vast majority of their experience has been battered by constant change. Ever since the start of the franchise in 2014, the club has had little to celebrate. The only honors the team brought home were a 2020 Challenge Cup in the midst of a pandemic and a 2022 playoff berth.
There’s been change in personnel, change in the front office, and change on the pitch. No matter what though, that change never led to better results. As cliche as it sounds, there was never light at the end of the tunnel.
But now, perhaps things are changing. Fans are dreaming again. With three games remaining in their 2025 NWSL season, they only sit four points behind the final playoff spot. Very few fans expected a roster led by a new head coach named Fabrice Gautrat to have something to fight for entering the final stretch of the season. Now, there’s hope, and one of the main catalysts for this resurgence has been USWNT newcomer Avery Patterson.
The Light of Hope
“At the beginning of the year, we were in a similar situation as the fans in terms of, not knowing what to expect,” Patterson said. “I had met Fabrice whenever I was still in college in North Carolina, just because I was around Chapel Hill a lot. I think I trained with him over a couple of summers whenever I was in college.”
Even with that familiarity, the reality was that Fabrice never coached as a full time head coach at the NWSL level. There was little way of knowing if his ideas would fully translate into a new team.
“I was super excited whenever we found out that he was going to be our captain of our ship,” Patterson said. “I had belief, but early on, obviously, (we knew it was) going to take some adjusting. The first half of the season was an adjustment period because of the inconsistencies over the years. It was obviously going to take some time.”
In the midst of doubt, however, Fabrice always instilled a sense of pride and confidence into his roster.
“I don’t think that our belief has ever wavered. We’ve all had an unwavering sense of belief and understanding, a collective understanding that this was something that was going to stick, and that if he had belief in us, then we had an unwavering belief in ourselves as well.”
Belief Leads to Success
Fabrice’s trust in his players has led to several personal accomplishments for Avery, who’s only in her second NWSL season. She was rewarded with her first senior appearance for the USWNT (U.S Women’s National Team), showcasing how far she’s come in a small amount of time.
“Every time someone asks me about it, I have to pinch myself under the table because (it was) a surreal experience,” Patterson said. “Having a first cap with one of the best teams in the world is such an honor and a privilege.”
Despite her achievements and the renewed optimism surrounding the squad, Avery knows that the job is still not finished. Houston has a real but difficult path to the postseason, and the entire team will have to play at a level that fans haven’t seen before if they want to make history.
“We’ve had conversations about managing nerves and not putting too much pressure on ourselves,” Patterson said. “The way to do that is by treating every day like it’s a final… It would mean so much (to deliver a playoff berth to Houston), and it wouldn’t be me delivering it. Trust me, it’s 11 players on the field. It’s everyone on the bench, and knowing that we have the backing from the fans also means a huge deal for everyone here.”
Critical Match on Sunday
Houston Dash travel to Los Angeles to take on Angel City FC, who are three points behind them in the table. Playing in BMO Stadium, home of LAFC, that game kicks off at 5:00pm ET and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
