Sources: Dash technical director out amid turmoil

Pablo Piñones-Arce is out as technical director of the Houston Dash less than a year after taking the role, multiple sources confirmed to ESPN.

The reason for Piñones-Arce's exit was not immediately clear, although multiple sources confirmed he will not continue in the role.

His exit continues a tumultuous season of change for Houston that included a three-month absence of ex-head coach Fran Alonso before his departure in September, and the late-July firing of former general manager Alex Singer.

Houston has not yet filled the vacant GM or coaching roles. Dash president Jess O'Neill told ESPN in late July that she wanted to have a new general manager in place by "October at the latest."

A Dash spokesperson provided the following statement on Thursday: "The team is currently meeting with the technical staff as part of the annual end of year review. The team will share an update once all meetings have taken place."

Former Houston Dash player and former Orlando Pride general manager Erik Ustruck has been operating as a consultant -- effectively an interim GM -- for Houston since August, ESPN previously reported.

Piñones-Arce was hired in March to work with Singer to establish "a robust soccer operation framework for the Dash," including oversight of roster construction.

Multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN that Piñones-Arce was considered for the head-coaching job that eventually went to Alonso. Piñones-Arce was later hired for a role that gave him oversight of Alonso.

O'Neill acknowledged to ESPN, in an interview conducted this summer, that Piñones-Arce was part of conversations in the head-coaching search, but O'Neill refuted that Piñones-Arce was a finalist for the role.

"I think there were discussions about the openings and the opportunity, but simultaneously, Alex and I had talked about an additional role to support her and, ultimately, the club, and that either we post something specific and have that kind of conversation, or, as happens, sometimes you sort of stumble upon somebody who might make sense in the role that isn't even posted yet," O'Neill said earlier this year.

"And that's my understanding of how things were clarified. But there was an initial conversation about the fact that we had an opening there [for head coach], but not anything that became a finalist of sorts."

Singer has declined multiple requests for comment from ESPN.

Alonso and the Dash officially "parted ways ...in lieu of a return from his leave of absence" on Oct. 1," the team said.

The Dash were 3W-6L-5D with 14 points upon Alonso's absence from the team beginning in June. Multiple sources told ESPN at the time that Alonso walked off the training field the day before the team's trip to Kansas City for a match on June 28.

That game, a 2-0 loss to the Kansas City Current, was the first Alonso missed; he never returned to the field or training ground for the Dash. Multiple sources told ESPN that he remained in the Houston area.

A Houston spokesperson initially announced that Alonso was "ill" for the first few games that the coach missed. At some point over the summer, the team began describing the coach's absence as a personal leave. The Dash and Alonso's representatives declined multiple inquiries throughout recent months to provide more details, citing employee legal rights and privacy.

The Dash began 2024 by firing their goalkeeper coach for violation of the NWSL's anti-fraternization policy, which says coaches "may not engage in, develop, continue, or pursue any romantic and/or sexual relationships or encounters, even when consensual, with any employee (including NWSL players or trialists) over whom they currently have direct or indirect supervisory authority or management influence."

March brought further turmoil for Houston when record-signing and star winger María Sánchez requested a trade just three weeks into the season. It came only a few months after re-signing with the team as a restricted free agent for a deal that made her the highest-paid in the league. She was traded to the San Diego Wave on deadline day.

O'Neill, in an interview with ESPN following the firing of Singer on July 25, called Sanchez's decision a personal one and argued that it was "isolated."

Multiple sources throughout the league, however, point to a correlation between the series of events that have taken place in Houston this year. The Dash ranked near historically low in recent player feedback surveys that are regularly conducted by the NWSL and its players association, multiple sources confirmed.

Throughout the summer, a significant number of Dash players asked to leave Houston, multiple sources told ESPN. The Dash had 17 players entering free agency when the league's window opened on Sept. 1, more than any other team in the league. Several players looking to leave were starters.

Houston finished last among 14 teams this season (5W-16L-5D, 20 points) after spending half the season with an acting head coach, Ricky Clarke.

Player frustration spilled into the public in September after an ugly 3-0 defeat to the Washington Spirit.

"There is a lot to improve in several facets. It's not just on the field or game by game," Houston forward Diana Ordóñez told the Spanish-language media "Desde La Linea Podcast" after the game. "There are things we need, like the return of our head coach or a brand new coach, but we need a lot of help. What we can do is work hard and try to play as a team, but there is a lot we are lacking right now."

Since the arrival of Ustruck, the team has managed to re-sign several players, including four-year deals for defenders Paige Nielsen and Natalie Jacobs, and a new contract for forward Michelle Alozie -- all of whom were impending free agents. Goalkeeper Jane Campbell, who was an alternate for the Olympic gold-medal winning U.S. women's national team this summer, signed a new deal earlier this year.

The Dash have made the playoffs just once in 10 seasons, and they've historically struggled to bring in fans.

Houston can look inside the league for a blueprint on how to turn things around. The Orlando Pride was in a similar position as the strugglers of the NWSL for years. The Pride took roughly two years to overhaul their roster, appoint a new head coach and general manager and reset their culture.

Orlando won the NWSL Shield this season, setting records for consecutive wins (eight), unbeaten games (24, including the first 23 games this year) and points (60). The Pride host Kansas City in Sunday's semifinal (3 p.m. ET, ABC), and can advance to their first NWSL Championship with a win.

NJ/NY Gotham FC enjoyed a similar turn around last season by winning a championship one year after finishing last.

"In my career, people always have what they think is happening, or what somebody told them, and that's the best perspective or the lens that they have based on whoever they spoke to and whoever's experienced they're referencing or drawing from," O'Neill told ESPN this summer.

"Our reputation is really important to me, because ultimately, perception is reality. So, we are actively trying to make sure that people understand that there's so much potential with the Houston Dash as an organization. There's also been significant investment and progress since I arrived here [in February 2022], and ultimately since Ted [Segal] became the majority owner of the team just about six months before I arrived."