{"id":262596,"date":"2026-09-14T14:35:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T14:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/14\/footypop-houston-dash-part-ways-with-head-coach-fabrice-gautrat\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T14:35:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T14:35:11","slug":"footypop-houston-dash-part-ways-with-head-coach-fabrice-gautrat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/09\/14\/footypop-houston-dash-part-ways-with-head-coach-fabrice-gautrat\/","title":{"rendered":"FootyPop: Houston Dash Part Ways With Head Coach Fabrice Gautrat"},"content":{"rendered":"

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In a bit of shocking news this weekend, the Houston Dash announced that they\u2019ve parted ways with head coach Fabrice Gautrat and technical director Twila Kilgore. The club also announced that Jaime Frias will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.<\/p>\n

\u200b<\/p>\n

Gautrat got the head coaching job ahead of the 2025 season, and in that season the club went 8-6-12, finishing in 10th place. For the 2026 season, they\u2019re currently in 12th place with a 7-5-12 record, with six games left. Obviously, every organization wants to be competing for the championship, and that\u2019s not in the cards for the Dash, but we\u2019ve seen a lot of bright spots with this team. This is a young team that Gautrat has done well building, and to see the club let go of him not even two seasons later is shocking. Houston has struggled for quite some time, and that probably plays a part in their lack of patience with results, but this could be a decision that they regret down the road.<\/p>\n

On the flip side of that argument, though, this could be an intriguing coaching opportunity with the young talent that the club currently has. They have some of the best young players in the league right now, which includes Kat Rader, who is a favorite to win Rookie of the Year.<\/p>\n

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Since Houston joined the league in 2014, they\u2019ve had six official head coaches and now five others who have held the interim tag.<\/p>\n

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The Club has parted ways with head coach Fabrice Gautrat and technical director Twila Kilgore. The search for the next Dash head coach is underway and will be managed by club leadership. Jaime Frias will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\uddde\ufe0f\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/R48AnfMnoe<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Houston Dash (@HoustonDash) September 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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News of the Week<\/h2>\n

The Women\u2019s Ballon D\u2019Or nominations shortlist came out, and Rose Lavelle has made the list of 30 players. Other NWSL players on the shortlist are Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga. Manaka Matsukubo is also one of the 30 after her impressive season with the North Carolina Courage last year.<\/p>\n

Last season, Lavelle was a key piece in Gotham winning the NWSL Championship, and she was also named the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. Barbra Banda in the last season and a half has scored 24 goals in 36 games. Chawinga has also been a scoring machine with 25 goals in 38 games for the Kansas City Current.<\/p>\n

Other players nominated for awards are Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger and Kansas City Current goalkeeper Lorena, who are two of the five nominated for Women\u2019s Goalkeeper of the Year. Lorena is also nominated for the Ballon D\u2019Or as well after a stellar season.<\/p>\n

For the Women\u2019s Young Talent of the Year award, USWNT midfielder Lily Yohannes is one of five nominated. The awards ceremony will be held on October 26 in London.<\/p>\n

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The best in the world play here. \u261d\ufe0f<\/p>\n

Four Ballon d\u2019Or nominees and two Yashin Trophy nominees play right here in the NWSL. pic.twitter.com\/f9jM20Mtui<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 National Women\u2019s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 9, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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Transfer of the Week<\/h2>\n

The Utah Royals announced that they acquired forward Jameese Joseph from the Chicago Stars. In exchange for Joseph, the Royals sent $750,000 in intraleague transfer fees. Joseph is a big addition for a Utah team that has been very good this season. They\u2019re adding a dangerous attacking weapon going into the final stretch of the season and their playoff run. She can make an immediate impact, and it\u2019s a great landing spot for the forward.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not surprising that Joseph was looking to get a change of scenery and move on from Chicago. The Stars have struggled the last two seasons, and the way that things have been going for them isn\u2019t sustainable; they have to make changes. They\u2019re looking to rebuild, and in order to do that, they have to get some money to spend, so making this deal could end up being good from an organizational standpoint, but it\u2019s also a good move for Joseph individually.<\/p>\n

Joseph joined the league as the 15th pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft. Before turning professional, she spent four years at North Carolina State, where she started all 87 games she appeared in and tallied 24 goals. For Chicago, she appeared in 64 games and scored eight goals.<\/p>\n

The forward also has experience on the international stage both at the youth and senior level. She earned her first senior USWNT cap in 2025 and has since earned five appearances and scored one goal.<\/p>\n

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Game of the Week<\/h2>\n

The Denver Summit and Angel City played in a really entertaining match this week that ended in a 3-3 draw. It took until the very end of the first half for the scoring to get started, but Angel City found the back of the net first thanks to Maiara Niehues. Angel City went into the break up a goal, but it didn\u2019t take Denver long to find the answer in the 50th minute from Yuzuki Yamamoto. From there, it looked like the Summit were in control, and they found another goal just a minute later from Lindsey Heaps. It was Heaps\u2019 first goal scored for Denver and her first goal in the NWSL since 2021. Just ten minutes later, Denver would extend their lead to two goals from a Janine Sonis goal. It was Sonis\u2019 10th goal of the season.<\/p>\n

Going into the final 30 minutes of the match, Denver thought they had a nice cushion, but Angel City had other ideas. They cut Denver\u2019s lead in half in the 63rd minute thanks to a goal from Prisca Chilufya. Then in the 74th minute, Ally Sentnor found the equalizer thanks to a penalty kick.<\/p>\n

The second half of the match was filled with action, with five of the six goals scored coming in the half. Both of these clubs are in the playoff hunt, and they know that, so this was a game that they both needed to get points out of, and they were giving it their all. With seven games left in the regular season, both clubs are just outside of the playoff qualifying spots, with Angel City in ninth place with 33 points and Denver just behind them with 31 points.<\/p>\n

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Save of the Week<\/h2>\n

Sandra Pa\u00f1os made two impressive saves to keep the North Carolina Courage from scoring and led the San Diego Wave to an important three points. The first save had to come off of a curling shot from Ashley Sanchez that Pa\u00f1os had to stretch out and get her hands on. With that shot, she wasn\u2019t able to control the ball, so the deflection fell to another Courage player, and Pa\u00f1os was able to react quickly and get up to put her body on the line and block the follow-up shot as well.<\/p>\n

Player of the Week<\/h2>\n

Kennedy Fuller is currently playing at the U-20 Women\u2019s World Cup with the USWNT. The United States have struggled at the start of the tournament; they\u2019re sitting in third place in Group D with a 1-1-1 record. Fuller played a big part in getting the U.S. their first win in the tournament against New Zealand. The midfielder scored a hat trick in the 9-0 win. Her first goal came early on in the sixth minute, and then the next two came at the end of the match in the 83rd and 90th minutes. The United States will now face off against Brazil in the Round of 16, with that match being on September 16 at 9 a.m. ET.<\/p>\n

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Goal of the Week<\/h2>\n

From now on, we need to just have a permanent spot in the newsletter for Ashley Sanchez. The tear that the midfielder has been on is incredible, and she continued to show her form this week. The North Carolina Courage did end up losing the match 2-1, but Sanchez scored a great goal in the loss. She got the ball on the left side of the box, took a touch to get centered, and then sent a curling ball into the back of the net. It was great placement, with the ball curling beautifully. The goal was Sanchez\u2019s 19th of the season and she\u2019s just one away from tying Temwa Chawinga\u2019s single-season scoring record.<\/p>\n

GIRLS SOCCER NETWORK: YOUR SOURCE FOR GIRLS SOCCER NEWS<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n