On Friday evening, the Houston Dash announced it has acquired defender Julia Ashley in a trade with Racing Louisville FC for No. 26 overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft.
The trade comes less than 24 hours after the Dash acquired the No. 26 overall pick and $125,000 in allocation money from Angel City FC following a trade for the no. 6 overall pick.
Ashley appeared in 15 matches and earned six starts for Racing Louisville FC in her first season with the expansion club. The defender was drafted by NJ/NY Gotham FC (then Sky Blue FC) as the sixth overall pick in the 2019 NWSL College Draft and earned her first NWSL start against Houston on Aug. 29. The Verona, New Jersey native also spent time with OL Reign and overseas in Sweden and Australia.
In the first of three trades made today by the club, we sent defender Julia Ashley to the Houston Dash for the 26th overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft. pic.twitter.com/JQMEbxQAEi
— Racing Louisville FC (@RacingLouFC) December 17, 2021
Houston currently holds two selections in the 2022 NWSL Draft beginning with the ninth selection in the second round (No. 21 overall). Houston also holds the No. 44 selection.
Where does this leave the Dash's draft?
Since giving up the sixth overall pick to Angel City FC, the Dash's goals shifted greatly. No longer was a top national talent on the cards for Houston. Head coach James Clarkson and his staff will be more concerned with rough diamonds, players that fit the system and maybe some depth pieces.
Those types of players can also be identified on the fringes of other team's rosters. You only have to look at Clarkson's decision to go and get Gabby Seiler and Emily Ogle last year from the Portland Thorns, in exchange for a first round pick, to see this can be done efficiently.
As I teased in a piece I wrote yesterday, this is on trend to see the Dash organization under Clarkson select young but tenured NWSL players rather than grab someone straight from college.
Ashley helps fill an obvious need for defensive depth. She becomes just the sixth defender on the the current roster. Expect Houston to still select another defender on Saturday and possibly a goalkeeper, too. Or maybe they won't make any picks and trade out of what they still have.