Christen Press backs out of deal with the Houston Dash
The Houston Chronicle was the first to report that forward Christen Press will not follow through with her deal to play with the Houston Dash for this upcoming season. She was traded by the Chicago Red Stars after participating for four seasons in Chicago.
There have been reports that Press informed U.S. Soccer about her decision to stay in the NWSL as U.S. Soccer pays for her NWSL contract. While staying in the league she only wanted to play for specific teams.
The blockbuster trade that Press was involved in also affected Sam Kerr to join the Chicago Red Stars and Carli Lloyd to move from Dash to Sky Blue FC. Even before this trade in her off-season she thought about joining the Utah Royals, but didn’t commit to that either.
After the trade to Houston head coach Rory Dames commended Press:
“We’re both disappointed we didn’t accomplish what we set out to do. Christen put every bit as much of sweat, blood, emotion, and commitment into it as I did,” said Dames. “Christen was phenomenal for us, raised the standards on and off the field and was an unbelievable role model the last few years for that young core.”
Before Press joined Chicago she was also very uncertain about her decision to play for the Red Stars. She joined in 2014 and within her four consecutive seasons has scored 36 goals and also led the team to the playoffs in three consecutive years and earned Best XI honors three times.
The Dash publicly announced their welcome to Press in January, but for the past two months there has been communication whether or not she should stick with Houston. Although this is a loss for the Dash, they seem to be ready to move on without her, but still have rights over her as a player.
Nothing is set in stone for Press, but with the 2018 NWSL season coming underway, a decision has to be made soon. If a decision isn't made to participate in this season, Press would have to wait until a FIFA transfer windows opportunity is available in the summer and then play in another country.
