You're really misguided, then. What bio are you looking at? Houston's, KC's, and Wikipedia's entries for her all say 1989. Also, WPSL has no draw on average. From the few attendance numbers I've been able to find over the years, even the good teams only get above 700 less than half of their seasons. Saying more people pay attention to WPSL based on one, maybe two high-drawing teams is like saying NWSL is on par with MLS based on the Thorns. I don't even think those high-drawing teams, if they exist, outdraw NWSL's median. Back yourself up with figures.
http://www.und.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/melissa_henderson_353859.html She graduated in 2012. This is her 3rd professional season.
I thinks so too. Ohai thrives when there are good passers around her and Henderson can pass the ball!
Does anyone know what happened to Ana Lucia Martinez (from Nicaragua or Guatemala)? Supposedly she tried out like a month ago...
Melissa Henderson is hardly an old player. She graduated from ND about 3 years ago so that makes her 25 years old in August. hardly pushing 30. She is very good and fast. She was in the USWNT U-system much of her life. Just barely played at FCKC due to Vlatko's system and all the Nats players they have. This was a good move by the Dash. In my opinion it's players like Masar who may be losing her position on the field. Ella is a good motivational player, has energy, good person, plays hard and goes for every 50/50 ball, does all the rah, rah stuff, but IMO, not very talented ball-wise. The NWSL and women's soccer in the US is getting more and more technical. Ball control and skill on the ball will be essential going forward. Just look at the two best teams in the league in Seattle and FCKC. What separates them from the rest of the league? Ball skill and vision. Not just putting the ball into space and chasing after it. Soccer is not so much "outrunning" someone in the pro ranks, you also have to have some skill.
Henderson was great. She is indeed a steal for a 3rd round pick. The same with Jackson. BTW, since I previously dished Kyle about failing to make turns and play to the opposite direction, I think I should give her credit for this game, she played great. Hope she can keep that up.
Unfortunately, Kyle would be better at CB because she's better at defense than pushing the ball forward. With Henderson almost like a 2nd Ohai, Houston's speed up top is probably the leagues fastest tandem (unless Morgan and McDonald play at the same time). Edward's just needs one more good DM to partner up with and Houston would become a very good team. The success that Seattle and KC have is because of the mid-field. I swear, I'd even play Ochs at DM, shes the best player on the bench if Kling is the LB.
This is what Henderson will bring to the Houston Dash. Her and Ohai will make a match made in heaven. Watch this clip from the 2010 NCAA National Championship where Henderson beats several Stanford defenders and dribbles all the way to the end line to pass the ball back into the box to Adriana Leon (now playing for Red Stars) who finished it in the back of the net to put Notre Dame up 1-0. But it's Henderson's speed and work rate that made it all happen:
Kyle being better at defense in midfield than pushing the ball forward does not automatically qualify her as center back. Why do you think Waldrum keep trying her at AM ? You need to have the skill and you need to be willing to play defense to be a back, especially CB. They have quite a different mentality than an attacker. Ochs is not a natural defender either, she has filled in admirably but watch her 1v1 defending. A good attacker can fake her out and get by her or can get a cross in fairly easily.
Kyle was CB for Seattle last year and pretty good at that position; she doesn't have the technical skill to be AM. Sorry, I disagee. Ochs has been an above avearge left back.
I'd actually rather see Ochs stay at LB, and have Klingenberg play DM. (Though I still think it'd be best to put her up front with Ohai and Henderson.)
How was Seattle last year again? Why do you settle for an above avg left back when you have Klingenberg?
2 games ago, Ochs did play LB while Klingenberg played mid. It was only for a short time but it wasn't impressive.
Well, Klingenberg hasn't really been impressive anywhere, IMHO... and it's not exactly like Kyle and Edwards are dominating at DM.
Not about the Dash but sortta of interest I would think as their coach is involved and maybe a couple Dash players Sarah Gehrke @Sarah_Gehrke 52m #MexWNT will play two friendly matches against Trinidad & Tobago in Houston next month http://www.trinidadexpress.com/sports/Mexico-women-get-ready-for-TT-267439741.html…
Well she was fairly impressive in Tyresö, but more as an extra offensive threat and helping to build up attacks her defending was good but not really impressive.
I didnt thing Kling was very influential last night tho that may have been her concentrating on trying to control Garefrekes. With KG and LDV playing wide and Dunn lurking behind Washington is a nightmare for FBs.
Looked like the Dash went to a 4-4-2 last night with Burger in the midfield, don't think they were as effective as they were the game before in a 4-4-3. Every game with Washington this year looked identical, Spirit lull the Dash into a slowed down pace then hit a winning goal at the end. Almost did it again in the last seconds of the game. Felt the Dash were doing much better when dictating thier own pace. Dash are still experimenting with a month left in the season. Ari,Ohale,Engen,Kling in back Edwards,Kyle,Jackson,mid, Ohai,Henderson,McCarty up top..My best shot at a perminent line up with of course a couple of mix and match exceptions. Seems as though everytime McFarline comes in the Dash become more dangerous.
McFarlane is just a solid team type player. Prolly hasnt been the star of anything since she left high school so she really gets the importance of successfully playing a role and having that make u valuable.
I was absolutely giddy when i saw we picked up Henderson. She has made so many amazing passes and can dribble and control the ball way better than anyone on the rest of the team without losing it. She is going to be a great assist machine for us, although i hope she can find the goal more than assisting. The last 2 games since she joined on, they have been able to get the ball across the other half of the field and take some good shots. I was fuming when i saw Diggs as defender and could not believe Erin didn't just pull a Hope Solo and deck her after getting burned so many times. She wasn't even taken out of the game after her miserable first half. Yes, i know she scored a goal which was pretty much on accident and just plain dumb luck. I think she is the worst defender on our team. She constantly gets burned and looks like she is always out of gas 5 minutes into the game. Why they had her matched up with Devanna yesterday, i will never know. If they hadn't pulled Lisa out in the second half start, we probably would have gone down 4 points the way she was playing. My guess is she got injured, because she went down twice in the first half. I really don't like our defense at all. No idea why Romero didn't cover Devanna instead of Diggs. At least she can run. I really thought Kyle would be doing a much better job than she has as a midfielder and have been thoroughly unimpressed with Klingenberg. Engen has been ok, but the entire defense is playing up way to far and getting burned hoping for offsides calls. Another major problem we have is they stand around a lot and are waiting for calls and a lot of times we don't get them or we get a call against us and they are not paying attention and the other team quickly scores because we are not ready or paying attention. I personally think Ohai is way too slow for a forward, although she seems to have decent ball control, but the speed is what allows people to take the ball away from her. I'd like to see much less of Souza, because she just dribbles the ball way too much and reminds me of Carly or Tobin, because they are 2 of the biggest ball hogs in the game. I know Osinachi (sp) seems pretty raw, but i'll take her over Diggs any day and i think she should be out there just because of her size, especially for corners. Plus, she is pretty physical and i like having her out there because she is fast as well. she needs to work on returning the ball back to Erin safely, because she has made some really bad and slow kick backs to her that have put us in trouble. The one thing i don't get is why do people draft or get all these forwards and convert them to backs if they suck at it. I played pretty much every position in the game and i know defense is the least glamorous, unless you are the goalie, but it's just amazing how they just have people back there that simply don't belong. Not just on our team, but in male and female teams at all levels in general.