The Houston Dash closed out the month of August with back-to-back losses, and followed that up with another two losses to start September. The day following that fourth straight loss, Houston made a series of moves, including moving away from head coach Fabrice Gautrat.
This opened the door for Dash assistant coach Jaime Frias, who is now tasked with righting the ship, and injecting the club with a new energy to close out the NWSL season. Luckily for the Dash, Frias’ wealth of coaching experience and familiarity in H-Town make him a great fit for the task on hand.
The Beginning to a Long Career
Frias brings well over two decades of coaching experience to the table, dating all the way back to 2000. This was as an assistant coach at Centenary College of Louisiana, the very school he had played soccer at for four seasons. Not long after it was off to Stephen F. Austin, where he eventually worked his way to his first head coaching gig.
After three seasons there, it was off to Nevada where Frias found tremendous success in his two seasons there. Frias continued to work his way to bigger and better things each place he went, eventually making the move to the University of Virginia, where he would see his coaching career truly take off.
A Pivotal Period in the Career
At Virginia, Frias started as their program’s Director of Operations, marking the beginning of twelve (on and off) years in Charlottesville. This period of Frias’ career would prove to be extremely pivotal, as it was also when he became involved with the U.S. Soccer Federation and some of their women’s youth teams.
In his nine years with U.S. Soccer, Frias served in a wide variety of roles for the U-16, U-18, U-19, U-20, and U-23 women’s national teams. Most notably, Frias saw stints as head coach of both the U-16 and U-18 national teams, while also coming on as an assistant for the U-20 national team.
This decade plus of Frias’ career saw him serve as an assistant coach at the University of Virginia, while also experiencing a wealth of different roles with the youth national teams. The body of work Frias has built was undeniable, and it was onto bigger and better things.
Back to Where it All Began
In 2022, Jaime Frias made the move to Houston, returning back to his hometown. However, it wasn’t time for the Dash and NWSL soccer quite yet. The University of Houston brought Frias on to be the head coach of one of the more noteworthy collegiate programs in the country, navigating the program’s infant years in the Big 12.
It was in 2025 that Frias made the leap to the NWSL, staying in H-Town and joining the Dash as an assistant coach. Fast forward a year and a half later, and Frias now has a tremendous opportunity on his hands, serving as the club’s interim head coach.
While the Dash are on the outside looking into the NWSL playoff picture, the club’s first game under Frias brought a new energy to the organization. The Dash snapped their four-game skid, going on the road to defeat Boston 2-1, marked by Messiah Bright’s 85th minute game-winner.
The 2026 season hasn’t been what Houston Dash fans wanted, but Jaime Frias has the experience and hometown familiarity capable of bringing momentum to a club that desperately needs it. With five games to go, Frias has an audition to prove he is a capable NWSL head coach– and he gets to do it in his hometown.
Featured image via @houstondash
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