Hope in Houston, but will this Dash season be any different?

In football, there's a phrase that echoes in the minds of fans: "It's the hope that kills you."

Hope. Sweet hope. The promise of something different. The belief that a team is on the right path to something greater. Every dog has their day.

Every fan has hope. No matter the club, no matter the past, one keeps going back to football because it can always – always – surprise you. (Trust me, I'm a QPR fan.)

And so, here we are. Another new Houston Dash season is about to begin and across the city, whispers of hope unfurl and intoxicate the minds of the beaten-down faithful.

Could this be their year?

How did we get here?

There's not enough space on this page to go into detail on the full, unabridged, painful history of the Dash, but here's a quick reminder.

Houston joined the NWSL in 2014 as the league's first expansion club. They finished bottom that first season, and 10 years later they find themselves bottom of the table once again.

After 230 total regular season matches, the Dash have the second-lowest points per game of any active NWSL club (1.13).

Across the first decade of the Dash, there have been some highlights. In 2020, Houston won its first-ever trophy, the inaugural Challenge Cup, out in Utah at the NWSL's bubble tournament during COVID-19. In 2022, Houston went to the playoffs for the first (and only) time.

In the more recent years, the theme has been change. Constant never-ending change.

In 2022, Juan Carlos Amoros managed 12 matches and decided NJ/NY Gotham FC was a better fit. Permanent hires Sam Laity and Fran Alonso did not last a full season, and general manager Alex Singer was fired after just under two years as the key leadership figure struggled. 2024 was truly rock bottom.

READ MORE: After league break, Fran Alonso remains absent from Houston Dash

READ MORE: Full Reboot: Pablo Pinones-Arce set to depart already thin Houston Dash

So, how are we feeling now?

Talking to Dash fans and media over the past few weeks has taken me by surprise.

Hope is certainly swelling again amongst the fanbase. Despite plenty of reasons not to trust this club, people are dreaming once again.

Bayou City Soccer, one of the most dedicated local outlets, has the team pushing for playoffs. While long-time fan podcast Foxtrot TV is manifesting a top six finish.

The Athletic's wonderful Jeff Rueter had the Dash down to be a surprise package on the Full Time podcast. Esteemed data analyst Kim McCauley put Yazmeen Ryan in her top three trades to define the 2025 NWSL season at The Guardian.

Overall, Dash fans believe in their squad, but the ownership, front office, and coaching are where the issues lie.

"We need some coaching consistencies, we need leadership. The team needs that leadership to guide the players," Ashley, a Dash fan since 2022, told Squad Depth.

"Losing Maria [Sanchez] was really hard; it's been tough to watch." Ryan, a Dash fan since 2020, told Squad Depth. "I would like to see stability, the same coach, and build on that. We have a lot of talented players, above that is the place to fix."

Leadership changes

New president of soccer and sporting director Angela Hucles-Mangano is front and centre of Houston's new regime. The former Angel City FC general manager is a well respected leader off the pitch.

"It's starts with our people, it starts with our staff, and how we collectively support one another... defining the culture clearly," Hucles-Mangano said in January about the club culture she will be creating from the very top.

"We're defining expectations and the visions and the goals that we are setting. And making sure those are measurable...keeping each other accountable."

In the dugout, the unproven Fabrice Gautraut seems like a sensible hire. The former assistant of the well-respected Sean Nahas is walking into the club preaching process and methodology rather than instant success.

"We all know trust takes time," Gautraut told media on Wednesday. "We talk a lot about performance over results...it's not just possessing the ball, it's how are we progressing?"

Gautraut did softly confess his target is to make the playoffs (a top eight finish). This is the NWSL after all. But, he also offered some other targets: "Having a real standard-driven culture and having a real team identity."

An exploding star

The key addition of Yazmeen Ryan, 26, who was acquired for $400,000 in allocation money from Gotham, is the primary reason to believe. Houston have never had a top tier NWSL talent and emerging USA International arrive in Houston in their prime.

The fix feels simple enough. Houston were the worst chance creators in the NWSL in 2024 (27.2 xG); Ryan led the league in key passes (51) and had 10 goal involvements (5G/5A).

READ MORE: 'The most peaceful I’ve felt': Yazmeen Ryan muses on journey to USWNT debut

Even the players with less spotlight than Ryan are all exciting arrivals.

Delanie Sheehan, also from Gotham, is an underrated versatile midfielder. Christen Westphal and Dani Colaprico, both from the Wave, offer experience. Forward Messiah Bright, a Texan who went to college with Ryan at TCU, has a lot of upside despite a stuttering career after a move to Angel City didn't work out in 2024.

And then there's the return of defender Katie Lind who was on maternity leave for the 2024 season after giving birth to her first child. Lind is an invaluable leader, who was at the heart of the brief moments of success that flickered in 2020 and 2022.

You know, football kit press releases are wild. A kit is no longer just a design, it's a manifesto.

Whilst the cynic in me doesn't often buy into pretentious explanations, the new Houston away kit, titled 'Cosmic Storm', does feel apt.

The shirt is inspired by the birth of a star. Stars are born when large clouds of gas collapse in on each other and heat up. Exploding into life a new stellar cluster.

"Out of chaos...a new light emerges," read WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes on the promotional video for the new away kit.

Well, if exploding molecules collapsing in on themselves doesn't sound like the past decade of the Dash then I don't know what to tell you.

Maybe, just maybe, a new star is about to explode into life in the NWSL. It's the hope that kills you.