The Houston Dash have signed Brazilian Women’s National Team midfielder and 2023 Italian Serie A Champion, Andressa Alves, the team announced today. Alves is signed through the 2024 season with an option for 2025. Andressa, who was recently called up to the Brazilian Women’s National Team ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, will join the Dash pending the receipt of her P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC).
“We are thrilled to welcome Andressa to Houston. Andressa is a versatile attacking player with a winning mentality who can both score and create goals and has played at the most competitive levels. Her international experience, championship pedigree, and commitment to our team’s success will add tremendous quality and be invaluable to our squad,” said Houston Dash General Manager Alex Singer.
“My entire career was built based on my will to win and make history. I´m the kind of player that works to win at the clubs that I play for and I´m really excited to join Houston, be part of this amazing team and work alongside my teammates. I´m confident that this is the perfect new chapter for my career,” said Andressa.
Andressa joins the Dash after spending four seasons (2019-23) with Italian side A.S. Roma, where she helped lead the club from league newcomer to most recently leading the Serie A club to its first Scudetto and UEFA Women’s Champions League qualification during the 2022-23 season. Andressa’s 2022-23 season included a career best 17 goals across all competitions and inclusion in Serie A Femminile’s Top 11.
During the 2021-22 season, Andressa was named Serie A Midfielder of the Year, having contributed vital goals and assists enroute to the club’s first Coppa Italia Championship in 2021. Andressa also became just the second player in Giallorossi history to score a hat-trick, doing so in a Coppa Italia match on January 13, 2021, against Roma CF. The attacking midfielder departs Roma as Giallorossi’s all-time leader in assists (15) and second in goals scored (40) across 103 competitions, becoming just the fifth player in Roma history to make 100 appearances for the club.
Prior to joining Roma in 2019, Andressa spent three seasons (2016-19) with La Liga’s FC Barcelona, scoring 35 goals and providing 20 assists in 91 league appearances. Prior to joining FC Barcelona, Andressa played one season (2015-16) with Montpelier in the French Top Division, appearing in 20 games, and scoring eight goals.
At the international level, Andressa has represented the Brazilian Women’s National Team with 106 caps, eighth most all-time and sixth amongst active players, and has scored 21 goals, 10th most all-time and fifth most amongst active players. Andressa, who made her debut for the senior team in 2012, has represented Brazil in the 2015 and 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the 2015 Pan American Games and CONMEBOL Copa America, which she won twice in 2014 and 2018. Andressa was most recently called up to the Brazilian Women’s National Team ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on Tuesday, June 27, and will represent the Dash as one of six players across four nations in Australia and New Zealand this summer.
