Houston Dash Appoints Former Orlando Pride GM Ustruck as Advisor

Erik Ustruck, the former general manager of the Orlando Pride, is stepping into a consulting role to oversee player transactions for the Houston Dash as the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team approaches its free agency period without a permanent GM. Multiple sources have confirmed this information to ESPN.

The Dash have been without a general manager since the dismissal of Alex Singer in late July. The team has also been in need of a head coach for more than two months, as Fran Alonso has been away since late June due to what the club initially referred to as an “illness” but is now termed as a leave of absence.

Ustruck began his consulting role with the Dash earlier this month during the NWSL’s secondary transfer window. Sources familiar with the matter have reported that he is now officially recognized as the “interim general manager.”

His immediate focus included the recent long-term re-signing of center-back Paige Nielsen. Nielsen, who joined Houston this year via a trade with Angel City FC, was poised to enter free agency but is now locked in with the Dash through the 2028 season. Currently, the Dash find themselves in 13th place in the league, with nine matches remaining.

The timing of Singer’s firing coincided with a six-week break in the league’s regular season for the 2024 Olympics. During this hiatus, NWSL co-hosted a tournament with Mexico’s Liga MX Femenil, heightening the scrutiny on the Dash’s performance.

Houston Dash president Jessica O’Neill previously indicated that the goal was to have a new general manager in place by October at the latest. Commenting on Singer’s exit, she noted, “It was a soccer decision. Ultimately, the results don’t match the resources and the expectations.”

O’Neill acknowledged the challenges that come with such decisions but emphasized the need for change to achieve better results on the field. “In two years, we’ve made a lot of progress. We’re proud of that, and Alex led us through a lot of that. But ultimately, we aren’t where we want to be on the field. We believe the change is necessary to put us in a better position to get there.”

The Dash have had a tumultuous history, making it to the playoffs only once in the last ten years. Singer had taken up the GM role in August 2022, shortly before the Dash’s lone postseason appearance.

Since then, the team has seen six different coaches; the current acting head coach, Ricky Clarke, has been managing the team in Alonso’s absence. O’Neill stated that a “thorough review” of the team’s operations was conducted prior to Singer’s firing, asserting that Singer’s dismissal was not influenced by Alonso’s leave.

Alongside Ustruck, Pablo Piñones-Arce was hired as the team’s first technical director in March, with Clarke and O’Neill initially handling day-to-day roster decisions following Singer’s removal.

Ustruck previously served as the GM of the Orlando Pride from 2019 to 2020 and was also the director of soccer operations for Orlando City SC, the MLS team that shares ownership with the Dash. Ustruck has played a consulting role for Orlando before the Pride hired Haley Carter as GM in 2022.

The Houston Dash recently led all NWSL teams with twelve players on the list of impending free agents released earlier this week, including Nielsen, who has since re-signed. Earlier this year, Houston also secured a long-term contract for U.S. international goalkeeper Jane Campbell.

The team faced a significant player departure when winger María Sánchez requested a trade only months after signing one of the most lucrative contracts in NWSL history as a restricted free agent. Sánchez was traded to the San Diego Wave on the deadline day. O’Neill described this incident as “isolated.”

“Our reputation is really important to me, because ultimately, perception is reality,” O’Neill expressed. “So, we are actively trying to make sure that people understand that. There’s so much potential with the Houston Dash organization. There’s also been significant investment in progress since I arrived here, ultimately since Ted Segal became the majority owner of the team in June 2021.”

The Dash are set to return to the field this Saturday at home against the Utah Royals, the current last-place team in the league, as they look to close the gap to the playoff positions.