Four Houston Dash players were called into international duty in June and July, the Club announced today.
Dash forward Rachel Daly was named to Team Great Britain’s Football Squad under Head Coach Hege Riise ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, the British Olympic Association announced this morning. This afternoon, Canada Soccer named defender Allysha Chapman, forward Nichelle Prince and midfielder Sophie Schmidt to its roster for a June training camp and international friendlies in Spain.
Daly is one of 15 players from the England Women’s National Team that will compete in Great Britain’s squad, alongside players from Ireland and Wales. This mark’s the Dash captain’s first-ever call up to an Olympic squad.
Daly has earned 38 caps for the Lionesses and scored four goals while splitting time at forward and outside back. She played a key role in England’s semifinal run at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, seeing action in five of their seven matches and starting twice, including in the semifinal against the United States. Most recently, Daly scored her fourth goal for the Lionesses in a friendly vs. Northern Ireland on February 23.
Houston’s captain most recently became the club’s leading scorer, breaking former Dash forward Kealia Watt’s record of 28 goals for the Dash. This season, Daly has netted two goals in three games for Houston with 31 career goals since joining Houston in 2016. The Harrogate, England native was a crucial piece of the Dash’s first league title in club history, scoring three goals and providing three assists to earn NWSL Challenge Cup MVP and Golden Boot honors in 2020.
The three Canadian Dash players will join CanWNT from June 4 to 15 to face Czech Republic (June 11, 10 a.m. CDT) and Brazil (June 14, 2:00 p.m. CDT) at Estadio Cartagonova in Cartagena, Spain.
Chapman has represented Canada in two FIFA Women’s World Cups, playing every minute in five games during the team’s quarterfinal run on home soil in 2015 and appearing in all four games of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The defender has earned 61 starts in 78 appearances for Canada, scoring one goal and providing three assists. A key part of Houston’s backline, Chapman is in her fourth year with the club since re-joining in 2018. She has appeared in 47 matches in league play and 56 contests across all competitions, starting all but two.
Prince has scored 12 goals and tallied 10 assists in her 64 career appearances for Canada. The forward most recently scored the second goal of a 2-0 victory over England on April 13, 2-0. Prince joined Houston in 2017 and has earned 44 starts in 62 appearances in all competitions, tallying six goals and three assists with the club. The forward scored the opening goal in the Dash’s 3-1 victory over Orlando Pride during the 2020 Fall series in September.
One of Canada’s veterans, Schmidt first joined the national team since 2005 and made her fourth World Cup appearance in France during the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Schmidt has 202 senior caps for Canada and has tallied 19 goals and 19 assists. Schmidt was inducted into the Canadian Soccer Hall of Fame on October 23, 2019. Schmidt has started in 26 of 30 appearances for Houston, scoring four goals and tallying one assist.
The Dash close out a three-game homestand this Saturday when the host the Chicago Red Stars at BBVA Stadium. Kickoff for the match is set for 6:30 p.m. CDT and tickets are available with a special Buy One, Get One promotion starting at $25. Fans can purchase tickets online at HoustonDash.com/SingleGame. The match will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network.
