The Houston Dash have signed Irish forward Denise O’Sullivan, the club announced today. O’Sullivan will be added to the roster pending receipt of her International Transfer Certificate and P1-Visa. Per team and league policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“What we really liked about Denise was her quickness, she’s dynamic and she’s extremely skillful,” Houston Dash head coach Randy Waldrum said. “We think she is going to be a great fit for our midfield. Especially when you look at our midfield with players like Morgan Brian who is very technical or Andressa, Carli Lloyd and Amber Brooks, she fits the profile.”
O’Sullivan, 22, joins the Dash from Glasgow City Football Club in the Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL), where she has played since July 2013. The Cork, Ireland native scored 33 goals in 65 starts for the 10-time SWPL champions. In 2015, O’Sullivan scored 10 goals in 24 games and won the SWPL title and SWPL Cup. In total, the forward has won eight trophies with Glasgow City Football Club.
The forward initially caught Waldrum’s eye as he was scouting a different player. The Dash head coach was seeking an attacking player that could add depth to his squad in preparation for future international fixtures.
“I received film on a different player and I actually liked Denise more than anyone else,” Waldrum said. “We felt that she would bring a different approach with her international experience. This will be crucial when we lose our national team players to training camps and the Olympic Games later this year. With Ireland not participating in the Olympic football tournament, we expect to have her the whole season.”
Internationally, the forward made her debut for the senior team at age 17. O’Sullivan has earned 46 caps and scored 8 goals for Ireland. Two of those goals came in her debut, a 2-0 victory over Wales in a EURO 2013 qualification match.
Denise O’Sullivan
Full name: Denise O’Sullivan
Position: Forward
International: Ireland
Date of Birth: Feb. 4, 1994
Birthplace: Cork, Ireland
Height: 5’4”
Previous club: Glasgow City Football Club
