Record breaker: Picking Rachel Daly's best NWSL regular season goals

One day, Houston Dash fans will look back and realize they were watching one of the greatest players in club history. Week in, week out, in front of their very eyes — a buzzing, blurry wave of passion, magic and technical skill.

Rachel Daly has been arguably the most important player in club history for some time now. But the argument for the current Dash captain to become the stand alone greatest keeps getting stronger, as she continues to break record after record in orange.

Last Friday night against the Chicago Red Stars, one of her favorite opposing teams to score on, Daly notched her all-important 29th regular season NWSL goal for Houston. That pulled her one goal ahead of Kealia Watt’s total of 28 regular season NWSL goals for the Dash. The club record is now all Daly’s.

“It's a good accolade for me,” said Daly about the achievement. “It’s something I can take with me and obviously I am always proud to represent Houston Dash, a club that I have been at for six years now. So, obviously, I wear my heart on my sleeve for this club and obviously, it’s a good achievement for me individually.”

To celebrate the monumental occasion, I closely re-watched all 29 goals and chose my favorite six. Let me know in the comments if you would swap any or if you approve whole-heartedly. Do also keep in mind that Challenge Cup goals (2020/2021) were not included in this list, just NWSL regular season goals.

Let’s go!

A debut to remember

Chicago Red Stars (3-1 W - April 16, 2016)

It started with a bang. Just 22 minutes into her first NWSL match, Daly announced herself as one of the most exciting rookie forwards in North America.

The initial pass for the goal comes from Carli Lloyd. Although Lloyd’s vision to play the pass towards Daly and Kealia Watt is inventive, her execution isn’t perfect on the play and Red Star defender Samantha Johnson breaks up the completion. In the end, the execution wouldn’t matter. In classic Daly fashion, she turns the Chicago recovery into a Houston goal.

Two things stand out about this goal. First, Daly’s exquisite technique to curl the ball into the back of the net. Second, Daly’s decision-making to see Alyssa Naeher’s advanced positioning off her line in the Chicago goal. If Daly doesn’t strike the ball when she does, Naeher has more time to reset her positioning. 

Summer screamer

vs. Western New York Flash (3-3 T - July 30, 2016)

Many of Daly’s greatest goals for Houston are often smashed home on her first touch of the move. Those goals show off her well-known attributes of quick-thinking, decisiveness and one-touch finishing. 

But in Daly’s debut season against the soon-to-be NWSL champions Western New York Flash, she pulled off one of her most draw-dropping solo goals: an outlandish long range piledriver, struck immaculately from 35 yards out. 

Picking the ball up inside the Dash’s own half, it doesn’t look like there’s much going on at all. However, soon no Flash midfielders are putting any pressure at all on Daly, and she punishes their hesitation by driving the ball 40 yards up the field. She’s allowed nine touches before unleashing the all-important tenth connection with the ball.

Katelyn Rowland, in goal for Western New York, was unable to even make an attempt at a save. The ball whizzed by her, uninterrupted. 

Touch, turn, top bins

vs. Chicago Red Stars (2-0 W - April 15, 2017)

It's the same opponent, same match-week and same part of the BBVA pitch as her debut goal in 2016. But this one, in my opinion, is even more special. This might just be my favorite of all Daly’s NWSL regular season goals. The draw-dropping strike completed a streak of three goals in three consecutive matches for Daly against the Red Stars between 2016-2017.

Unlike in 2016, both Casey Krueger and Naeher were in good positions to stop a goal in this situation. Krueger is square to Daly, her body between the ball and the goal. The Chicago defender leaves more space wide to her left, away from goal, giving Daly a tougher angle to score if she were to shoot from that side. Naeher is stationed on her goal line, slightly closer to her left post but agile enough to make a save on either side. 

Daly mixes ingenuity with skill by first attacking the space on Kreuger’s left, before then cutting the ball back in the opposite direction with her right foot. The brilliant close control is topped off with a twirling left-footed shot that nestles perfectly beneath the crossbar. Peak Daly.

Cut-back curler

vs. North Carolina Courage (4-1 L - April 28, 2019)

Two years later and Daly’s at it again with another hard change of direction, utilized to outwit her marking defender, coming in handy. The difference between this goal against the Courage and its sister-goal against the Red Stars is in their relevance.

In 2017, Daly scored the second goal in a 2-0 win over Chicago, whereas in 2019, this impressive effort was a mere consolation goal in a 4-1 defeat. 

Still, it stands up two years later as a thing of beauty. Like some creeping sunlight in the sky after a storm, this goal shows some of the class would be captured despite a disappointing seventh place finish in 2019.

It is funny to me how it is — again — that exact same part of the BBVA pitch that Daly loves to score from. This goal also gets extra points for coming against esteemed players in Abby Erceg and Steph Labbe.

Pickpocket and power

@ Utah Royals (2-1 W - May 11, 2019)

The Utah Royals were short lived, only playing in the NWSL for three seasons between 2018-2020. But Daly left her mark on the club in 2019, by leading this remarkable explosive comeback win that also saw the Houston captain dismissed by referee Natalie Simon before the final whistle for an elbow. 

Trailing by one goal, after Amy Rodriguez opened the scoring in the 29th, Daly scored two quick goals either side of half-time to snatch all three points for the Dash.

The equalizing goal stands out because it showed off Daly’s canny nous to capitalize on the opposing team’s errors. What’s really eerie about this goal is that it is former Red Star Samantha Johnson, then suiting up for the Royals, who cannot control Amber Brooks’ long ball out from the Houston defense. Just like in 2016, Johnson spills it and Daly makes her pay with a ferocious swipe of her right foot. When the net ripples, it’s too late. 

Record breaker

vs. Chicago Red Stars (1-1 T, September 10, 2021)

So here we are. The present day, records are obliterated. Daly’s goal against Chicago was her fifth of the 2021 regular season, matching her second-best season total from 2017 and 2019. It was also her third in four matches, with no other Dash player scoring in those contests.

If it wasn’t already obvious, not only is Daly as important as she ever has been for the Dash but she’s scoring at a potentially historic rate too. Her current tally of 0.50 goals per 90 minutes is the highest of her career in a single NWSL season.

I don’t want to jinx it, but this shouldn’t be the last NWSL regular season goal that Daly ever scores for Houston. However, it’s nice — for those that appreciate symmetry — that Daly’s first and latest both come against Chicago. The rounding off a legend, still growing but taking in a lap of honor. To use a cricket metaphor, Daly is holding her bat up to the pavilion. 

It’s a shame this goal couldn’t cap off a crucial win for the Dash, as they attempt to break their playoff curse and reach the postseason for the first time in club history. It has all the makings of a match-winning goal. Fine margins, a physical wrestle between defender and forward. Grit, determination, skill and a tiny slice of luck.