The Houston Dash have parted ways with head coach Sam Laity, the club announced Wednesday.
With just four matches remaining in the NWSL regular season, the Dash sit six points out of the final playoff spot. Their 4-8-6 record (W-D-L) puts them in 10th place overall with 20 points, and they have not won a regular-season match since June 3.
“We have high ambitions and continuously work to build a competitive team that will represent the city at a high level,” Dash general manager Alex Singer said. “After considerable evaluation as to what is best for the team at this time, we made the decision to make a change.”
While the team did not name an interim coach, only saying one would be announced “in the coming days,” first assistant coach Sarah Lowdon is expected to take the helm for the rest of the season, The Equalizer’s Theo Lloyd-Hughes reported.
The Dash hired Laity in December 2022. A longtime OL Reign assistant, the 47-year-old Englishman had coached for the Seattle club since the NWSL’s inaugural season in 2013. He served as OL Reign’s interim head coach for six games in 2021.
He followed two coaches who had been implicated in the the NWSL and NWSLPA investigation into “widespread misconduct” in the league in James Clarkson (2019-22) and Vera Pauw (2018).
“On behalf of the Club, community, and our team, I want to thank Sam for his dedication and contributions to our organization,” Singer said. “We sincerely wish him all the best.”