The Houston Dash have parted ways with head coach Fran Alonso, ending a three-month saga that has seen Alonso absent from all team activities.
The Dash said in a statement on Tuesday that the decision came “in lieu of a return from his leave of absence.”
Ricky Clarke, who has been Houston’s interim coach since the end of June, will remain in that position until the end of the NWSL season.
Houston sits in last place with four games remaining. The Dash have won only four of 22 games and have 17 points.
Houston initially announced on June 28 that Alonso was absent from the team due to an “illness” when he failed to show up for a road match against the Kansas City Current.
Alonso has not returned to the team since. The Dash repeatedly declined to elaborate when asked for comment.
At some point over the summer, the organization started describing Alonso as being on a leave of absence.
Alonso and his representatives have not discussed the circumstances. A representative for Alonso did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Houston also fired general manager Alex Singer in late July for what team president Jess O’Neill described to ESPN as “a soccer decision.”
Former Orlando Pride general manager Erik Ustruck has been acting as an advisory — effectively an interim GM — as ESPN first reported in August.
The Dash said in Thursday’s statement that they plan to announce a new general manager, who will be tasked with selecting the next head coach.
Clarke taking over as interim coach represents the sixth head-coaching change since the start of 2022 for the Dash, including interim coaches.
The Dash have not had a coach start and finish a season in charge since 2021. Alonso was hired by Singer last offseason.
He was previously the coach of Celtic’s women’s team in Scotland’s top flight.
“Our reputation is really important to me, because ultimately, perception is reality,” O’Neill told ESPN this summer.
“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, and ultimately since Ted [Segal] became the majority owner of the team [in June 2021] just about six months before I arrived.”
