The Houston Dash have named Juan Carlos Amorós as the interim head coach and he is expected to join the Dash at the end of June pending visa approval, the team announced today. Until that time, Sarah Lowdon will remain acting head coach.
Amorós brings significant international experience to the Dash after coaching in both the top Spanish and English women’s leagues. The Spaniard comes to the Dash after serving as the head coach of Real Betis Féminas from 2021 to 2022, where he led the club to its longest unbeaten run in Spain’s top division.
“I am excited to join the Dash because I have seen the commitment to women’s soccer from owner Ted Segal and everyone at the organization,” Amorós said. “I believe the Dash have a massive potential to be one of the best teams in the best league in the world. I love that Houston is a multicultural city with the ability for me to make an impact in the community, both on and off the field. I can't wait to get started.”
Amorós will work closely with Lowdon who will assume the role of first assistant when Amorós arrives.
“I am very excited to welcome Juan and his family to the Houston Dash,” Lowdon said. “I am looking forward to learning from Juan and working with him throughout this transition. I really appreciate the support I’ve received from the fans, players and our president, Jessica O’Neill. We are ready to build upon the success we’ve had during the regular season so far.”
Lowdon stepped into the role of acting head coach ahead of Houston’s regular season home-opener on May 1 and has led the Dash to a 3-2-1 record, including the longest unbeaten streak in Dash history, currently at six matches.
"After a thorough search process, we are thrilled to introduce Juan to Houston and believe his leadership experience in the women’s game will be a difference-maker,” Houston Dash president Jessica O’Neill said. “In addition, we'd like to recognize Sarah Lowdon for her impactful work and thoughtful approach to serving as acting head coach. We look forward to having both Juan and Sarah, alongside the rest of our staff, lead us towards our goal of making the playoffs for the first time in club history.”
Prior to his time coaching in his home country, Amorós played an integral role in co-leading Tottenham Hotspur FC Women from England’s third tier to the FA Women’s Super League in five seasons. In 2019, Amorós co-led Tottenham to a second-place finish in the FA Women’s Championship League (second division), which led to the Spurs being promoted the FA Women’s Super League, the top division of women’s soccer in the United Kingdom.
While with the Spurs, Amorós earned Manager of the Year honors in the FA Women’s Championship League for the 2018-2019 season and the FA Women’s Premier League, now the FA Women’s National League (third division).
Amorós holds an UEFA PRO License as well as UEFA A and B licenses and received a diploma in 2021 in Football Management from The League Mangers Association (LMA) Institute of Leadership and High Performance. The 38-year-old has also participated in several Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) elite coaching courses aimed to help better prepare and coach players at the highest level. Amorós earned a Master of Business Administration from Autonomous University of Madrid in 2008.
