Houston Dash sign Brazilian Midfielder Andressa Alves

The Houston Dash today officially announced the signing of Brazilian Midfielder Andressa Alves to the squad. Andressa comes to Houston after a championship season in the Italian Serie A with Roma where she tallied 12 goals in 23 appearances, just 1 goal short of leading the team. After previous stops around the world including Barcelona and Montpellier, Alves will finally be making her NWSL debut with Houston. The Dash have announced that Andressa Alves is signed through the 2024 season with an option for 2025.

Andressa Alves was recently called up to the Brazilian World Cup roster, so Houston fans will get the opportunity to see their new star on the biggest stage. Alves will now be the 7th Brazilian World Cup player in the NWSL, joining stars like Marta, Debinha, and Bruninha.

Andressa said of her move to Houston, “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.”

How Andressa Alves fits in to the Dash

Houston has been struggling to find consistently strong midfield play outside of Maria Sanchez’s brilliance on the left wing and captain Sophie Schmidt’s solid defending. Players like Joelle Anderson, Sophie Hirst, and Havana Solaun haven’t been able to make a consistent impact on games, but Alves is the kind of player who should be an instant upgrade.

Alves is a goal-scoring threat from pretty much anywhere on the pitch, as you can see here.

The Dash have been playing phenomenal defense as of late, even when down to 10 players. They’ve survived for goal-less draws in their last 2 matches despite having defenders pick up red cards in both games. But unfortunately, after looking like they had figured it out on offense, they’ve scored just 3 goals in the entire month of June (5 matches). Alves should help address that issue.

I’m excited to see how Coach Sam Laity deploys Alves into the lineup. I expect to see her alongside Sanchez, Schmidt, and Marisa Viggiano in the midfield. Sanchez and Alves are much more attacking minded players who would be hell to play against on the wings, while Schmidt and Viggiano are more defensive-minded and can provide some stability against counter attacks in the middle.

Just 2 points out of the playoff picture in the NWSL standings and a little over halfway through the season, Andressa should help the Dash make the final push they need down the stretch!

Up Next for the Houston Dash

Andressa Alves won’t make her Dash debut until sometime after the World Cup and once she receives her P-1 Visa and International Transfer Certificate (ITC). But the Dash will be back in action on Saturday July 1st at 6:30 CDT on the road against the North Carolina Courage. Check out the rest of the Houston Dash 2023 Schedule.

Stay tuned to the Apollo blog for more Soccer coverage including the Houston Dash, Dyamo, Austin FC, and FC Dallas.