Houston Dash forward Rachel Daly was named to the England Women’s National Team roster by head coach Phil Neville for two international friendlies, the Football Association announced today.
England, currently ranked fifth in the world by FIFA, will take on Belgium at 12:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, August 29 at Den Dreef Stadium in Leuven, Belgium. Four days later, the Lionesses will face Norway at 11 a.m. CT on Tuesday at Brann Stadion in Bergen, Norway.
Daly has scored three goals in 27 appearances for the Lionesses. The Harrogate, England native helped her country reach the semifinals of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup this summer in France, eventually finishing the tournament in fourth place. Prior to the World Cup, Daly and the Lionesses won the 2019 She Believes Cup after two victories over Brazil, Japan and a draw with the United States.
This season, Daly leads the team with five goals in 10 appearances, starting in every game she’s played. The forward was named the club’s Most Valuable Player in 2018 after she scored a career-high 10 goals in her third season with the Dash.
Selected sixth overall by the Dash in the 2016 NWSL Draft, Daly ranks second in club history with 24 goals. She has appeared in 72 games with 68 starts in her first four seasons, seeing time at both forward and right back for the club. Daly scored her first goal of the 2019 season in a matchup against the North Carolina Courage on April 28 at BBVA Stadium. Later in the season, she slotted two goals in against Utah on May 11 to give the Dash their third victory of the season. Three of her five goals have been game-winners this season.
Daly will be available for selection this weekend as Houston hosts Carli Lloyd and Sky Blue FC at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 24 at BBVA Stadium. Tickets for the match start at $15 and are available at HoustonDashSoccer.com.