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24 Dynamo | Dash Youth Class of 2023 players sign National Letters of Intent

Dynamo | Dash Youth Soccer Club is proud to announce that 24 members of the Class of 2023 have signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) on National Signing Day to continue their soccer career in college. These commitments include nine (11) NCAA Division I schools, as well as several Division II and III powerhouses.

Dynamo | Dash Youth continues to lead the way in the Houston area in player development, with over 390 college commitments since 2017 and 42 national team selections. The graduation class of 2022 saw 69 players commit to play college soccer.

“I am incredibly grateful to the coaching staff at Dynamo | Dash Youth for their time and effort they put into helping find a college that was the best fit for me and connection with potential college coaches. My recruitment process would not have been as successful if it weren’t for the coaches’ unwavering support and the many recruiting opportunities provided by the club for the teams at all levels to be seen by top colleges," said Kathryn Lennon, Girls Academy U19 / University of Richmond. "My coaches went out of their way to meet with me about my school preferences, and they helped form a list of colleges that would meet my criteria. All of the staff were more than willing to provide insight and tips on the recruitment process, and they all had different coach connections they were happy to introduce me to. On behalf of the class of 2023, I would like to thank all of the coaches at the club for their guidance and efforts to get us to the next stage of our soccer careers.”

“I’m so excited to begin my collegiate journey at Southern Miss next year, " said Madeline Ellis, Girls Academy U19 / Southern Mississippi University. "The Dash program has made me the player I am today and I could not be more grateful to my coaches for all of their time helping me grow as a player. The tools, resources and the opportunities that the club has provided in their player development pathway really helped me navigate my way through the whole recruiting process.”  

"The club has a responsibility to enhance college recruitment opportunities through our resources and extensive networking connections," said Simon Boddison, Director of Soccer Operations. "As part of our membership commitment, we will continue to provide a comprehensive free online platform that educates and informs all the players and families about the recruitment process to ensure the best opportunity for success. I, along with our entire coaching staff, are thrilled to celebrate these players and look forward to more college commitments throughout the season."

The dedicated, professional coaching staff of Dynamo | Dash Youth is able to work with players to design personalized development plans throughout their soccer career. Our staff’s experience in the recruitment process has provided the club an extensive network of contacts across the nation at all levels of college soccer. Every player ('04 - '09 birth years) in the club has access to the College Fit Finder program to ensure they have the ability to find the best opportunities to advance their athletic and academic endeavors after high school.

Stay tuned to the club’s social media channels and the College Center presented by Northwest Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery for additional college commitments throughout the year!

Houston Dash Girls Academy 2023 

Houston Dash GA2 05 South

Houston Dash Beaumont 04/05 PA

The College Center is brought to you by Northwest Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

Dynamo | Dash Youth Soccer Club wrapped up its 11th annual Breast Cancer Awareness campaign last week led by the Houston Dash Academy, brought to you by Hunter Family Orthodontics. The campaign resulted in $10,000 donated to In The Pink of Health / Memorial Hermann Foundation as well as contributing financial support to the Houston Dash Academy.

Over $90K has been donated to local charities since the inception of the program in 2012, with more than 11,500 pink shirts sold and worn in the local community. The club completely sold out their inventory in shirts (1,500+) across their local communities for players, family members and supporters.  The shirts were prominent in training sessions throughout the week as well as on game days through the month of October which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

“The commitment of these young athletes towards helping those struggling with ovarian and breast cancer is truly amazing,” said In the Pink of Health co-chair Debra Cooper. “Statistics show that many of these young women will be faced with a loved one battling these diseases in their lifetime and it is so encouraging to witness their compassion and support at such a young age. We are all in this together and we are so grateful for this continued partnership with the Houston Dynamo | Dash Youth Soccer Club.”

"It is such an honor and a privilege to be a part of the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign with the Dynamo | Dash Youth Soccer Club,” said Dr. Ross Hunter of Hunter Family Orthodontics. “The players do a fantastic job of raising awareness throughout the month of October in our community. My mother is fortunately a breast cancer survivor, so it brings me great joy to see all the pink shirts being worn by the athletes, knowing that some of the proceeds go towards finding a cure!”

"I would like to thank all the players, parents and families who supported the program by purchasing a shirt or donating to the program," said Marcus Watt, Girls Academy Staff Coach / Breast Cancer Awareness Director. "Also, a huge recognition must go to the club's internal administration team and the volunteers that helped within the delivery process that enabled this program to be a complete success." 

"On behalf of the club, I would like to personally thank Dr. Ross Hunter for his support for this year's Breast Cancer Awareness campaign," said Simon Boddison, Director of Soccer Operations / Partnerships. "It's a program that continually grows each year and has become a very important part of our club, reinforcing our core value of service."

The club is very excited to announce that Coach Keith "Muck" Johnson has been placed on the National Soccer Hall of Fame 2023 Eligibility List after earning 101 caps for the USA Paralympic National Program from 2003 - 2017.  Keith is also the club's Director of Adaptive | Special Needs Program and coordinates all game day protocols for home games played in The Woodlands, TX.  Keith has been part of the coaching staff since 2006.

Quick Facts:

• 2015  Paralympic Pan American Games, Toronto, Canada / CP World Cup, London, England
• 2011 CP World Cup, Arnhem, Holland
• 2012 Paralympic Games, London, England / Golden Glove Award 
• 2007 Paralympic Pan American Games, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil / CP World Cup, Brazil
• 2004 Paralympic Games, Athens, Greece
• 2003 CP World Cup, Buenos Aires, Argentina  
• Represented the USA in Spain, Portugal, Ukraine, Holland, Greece and Ireland for individual games

"I am very honored to be listed with such a great group of candidates all looking to be selected into the Soccer Hall of Fame," said Coach Keith Johnson. "I relished every opportunity when I wore the USA jersey to represent my country with pride and did everything possible to help my team-mates succeed in getting results."

"Keith has had a tremendous career representing his country over the years and still continues to excel on the field in the development of our current players," said Dave Dengerink, Academy Director.  "His dedication and work ethic is an example of what can be achieved if you are willing to put the time into the game and sacrifice."

Coach Keith Johnson at St. George's Park, England for the World Cup 2015 with HDDY coaching staff Stuart Taylor / Michael Openshaw in attendance.

The annual Houston Youth Cup 2022 provided much needed pre-season competition in August and raised substantial financial funding ($90K) to support the club's scholarship fund. Since 2005, this scholarship event has raised over $1.25 million, allowing the club to assist around 125 families per year to play youth soccer.

This year’s tournament featured three hundred and twelve (312) U11-U19 boys and girls teams from all across the region with matches taking place at eleven sites in The Woodlands, Tomball and the Conroe area. The GotSoccer ranked event allowed each team a minimum of three games over the course of the weekend.

"Thank you to all the teams, coaches, managers, volunteers, referees and sponsors for all their support of the tournament," said Stuart Taylor, Tournament Director. "It’s the effort from everyone involved that makes this pre-season youth soccer event a tremendous success."

Special thanks to our facility partners The Woodlands Township and Conroe Parks & Recreational. This pre-season tournament for the area brought an estimated 20,000 spectators to the local community, providing a large economic boost to local hotels and businesses. The club would like to thank On Location (formerly Anthony Travel) for facilitating the hotel accommodations for the visiting teams and Memorial Hermann for their athletic training support throughout the event.

"Through our partnership with The Woodlands Township and the City of Conroe, the club has the necessary resources, guidance and facilities to help make this event a tremendous success," said Simon Boddison, Director of Soccer Operations. "Continuing to host events throughout the year helps us reach three important objectives: providing competitive environments for our players to develop, raising much needed financial revenue for our internal scholarship program and supporting the local community."

The club is very excited announce that all current registered Dynamo | Dash Youth Soccer players will receive one complimentary ticket to a home game of their choosing for Dynamo FC (MLS) or Dash (NWSL) which will be played at PNC Stadium while receiving a discount on additional tickets for family and friends! Be part of the electric atmosphere at our home stadium along with the numerous game day team activities available.  Get your ticket NOW!  

The program will take effect for all games after September 1, 2022.

Questions regarding groups of ten (10) or more or what team activities your team can be involved with, please contact Doug Sitton, Dynamo | Dash Youth sales rep at dsitton@houstondynamo.com or call (832) 727-4078 / (713) 276-7537.

Please note each game's link will close 48 hours before the match date so don’t wait to redeem!