Analysis: Ordonez trade headlines prudent draft night for Dash

The 2023 NWSL Draft is in the books. A record-breaking evening, filled with plenty of chaos, saw 48 young players enter the NWSL family. For the first time in league history, there were 10 trades on draft day, and Alyssa Thompson became the youngest-ever player selected.  

READ MORE: 2023 NWSL DRAFT: All the picks, updates, live blog

The Houston Dash made four selections on the night, but before any of that took place, they made a daring move — one that could change the face of the team for years to come.  

The Texas NWSL club opened the night by announcing it had traded a large sum for Diana Ordoñez, the former University of Virginia forward who played for the North Carolina Courage in her rookie 2022 season. 

"I think the day kicked off with a bang," general Manager Alex Singer said on Thursday. "That was incredibly important for us, it was something that we had our eye on for quite a long time. She performed extremely well as a rookie, and we just believe in her, that's only really the beginning for her."

Ordoñez is an American who plays for the Mexican national team. She grew up in North Texas and came through FC Dallas women's youth system. She is a pure center forward, a centro delantera. She's a prolific goalscorer who reads the game as if it was scripted, often arriving in the box on cue with devastating results. In 2022, Ordoñez set a new NWSL record for goals scored by a rookie with 11. 

LISTEN: Just A Dash: Interview with Diana Ordoñez (Virginia/FC Dallas women)

Courage head coach Sean Nahas revealed on draft night that Ordoñez had requested a trade during the offseason, and cited her desire to be closer to her family as one of the reasons. Despite weeks of negotiations, the deal only got over the line right before the draft.

Singer explained to the media that Ordoñez had been identified early on as a top transfer target but the conversations on what it would take to sign her and assess the value of the trade "took some time". The Dash general manager admitted that "the emotions" of draft day helped to finish the deal. 

The trade cost the Dash $100,000 in allocation money, their 2023 first-round pick (eighth overall) and their 2024 first-round pick. Houston did also receive the Courage's 2023 third-round pick along with the Mexican national team starlet. Instead of using that selection on a player, Singer opted to trade it on for $50,000 in allocation money on Thursday night. 

So who did Houston pick? 

In the second round, at pick number 20, Houston's made its first selection in the 2023 draft. Singer and company ended up going for Harvard midfielder Sophie Hirst. Just two picks later, The Dash were on the clock again and this time opted for defender Jyllissa Harris out of South Carolina. 

After trading back twice in the third round, and receiving $50,000 by doing so, the Dash then selected defender Lindsi Jennings from LSU at number 36. A homecoming of sorts, Jennings grew up in Conroe, just 39 miles north of Houston. 

Although Houston didn't have any more picks left after selecting Jennings, Singer and company traded for the final pick of the draft, number 48, and picked up UCLA fullback Madelyn Desiano. The move cost the Dash $10,000 and a 2024 third-round pick. 

Old habits die hard

One of the narratives for the Dash coming into Thursday night's draft was whether will they select a player in the first round. 

After four consecutive drafts, under former head coach and general manager James Clarkson, where Houston has traded out of the first round, the 2023 draft proved to be no different. It has now been half a decade since the Dash took a top-round pick. Their last first-rounder selected was in 2018. That player, Haley Hanson, is also no longer with the club.  

In some ways, we should have seen this coming. In other ways, it was a surprise. 

It has been in Houston's recent DNA to get creative and go after more proven top talent with NWSL experience, but it has also been the strategy of OL Reign, the club Laity spent 10 years assistant coaching and scouting for. 

Combine Laity's roster-building experience working under Laura Harvey with Singer's business savvy and you can get the Dash going after a young reliable NWSL and international goalscorer rather than chasing one of the top undergraduates in the country. 

Unpacking the Diana trade  

Was this a good decision? Time will tell ultimately. But if you have the chance to get Ordoñez, you take it. She was one of the best No. 9s in the NWSL in 2022, and she's only 21. The Texan was a rookie in name only, and I really believe she could be the face of the club for a decade. 

Looking at the draft board for the eighth pick, the Dash passed up on Haley Hopkins, Izzy D'Aquila, Alexa Spaanstra, Clara Robbins and Sydney Collins. It's unlikely any of them will match Ordoñez's 2022 season, or potentially her future either. 

D'Aquila would be the player I believe most likely to replicate Ordoñez's performance levels. Ironically, Hopkins was actually the Mexican forward's replacement at UVA in 2022, and her numbers last season were only slightly worse than Ordoñez's in 2022. 

Robbins would've been a really trusty defensive addition for Houston, but I think, with the depth of talent in the 2023 draft, that wasn't a big need for the Dash to spend a first-round pick on. Perhaps if Reyna Reyes or Jenna Nighswoger had fallen to the eighth pick, then maybe the Dash would have thought twice about the trade. 

With all that being said, I think what is quite alarming — and this does not fall on Singer, Laity and the current regime — is that the Dash could've had Ordoñez last season for less than they paid in 2023. 

Last year, Clarkson decided to trade the sixth pick for $125,000 in allocation money. That selection was Ordoñez. And that was not a surprise. Many experts, journalists (including myself), and fans predicted that the Dash would get an opportunity to select Ordoñez in 2022. 

READ MORE: Ordoñez on embracing her Mexican heritage and World Cup dreams

In many ways, Singer has paid an inflated amount in order to correct the actions of the past. Which isn't great soccer business when you crunch the numbers. But the numbers don't win you NWSL matches. Ordoñez wins you NWSL matches. 

So yes, keep an eye on D'Aquila's career and the Courage's 2024 first-round pick, but bringing Ordoñez back home to Texas to combine with fellow Mexican-American María Sánchez was a tremendous move to make. 

"She [Ordoñez] was a player that I dreaded going against last season, and I am happy she will be on our side next season. Diana is the kind of player we want on our front line - fast, creative, and deadly in attack," beamed Laity on Thursday. "I had a dream of Sanchez crossing the ball to Ordoñez. One of the reasons to bring her in was to get more out of Maria Sánchez."

The Dash will also benefit from the Mexican national team duo not going to the 2023 World Cup, and therefore being more available for NWSL matches during the summer. 

Harris is a home run 

The imperious iron woman Katie Naughton has been the bedrock of Houston's backline for three seasons, but behind her there often hasn't been any esteemed cover at center back. Also do not forget that the Dash even started the 2022 season with Sophie Schmidt as a starting center back. Wild times. 

Second-round pick Harris felt like a perfect fit for Houston. She's a strong, ball-playing center back who made over 100 appearances for South Carolina and was named in the NCAA second-best XI in 2022. From watching interviews with her, she appears to be mature, intelligent and has leadership potential. 

Last September, Harris eloquently wrote an opinion column in Sportico about women's sports. The article unpacks a poorly handled "celebration" of Title IX at the University South Carolina, where female athletes were set to be paraded during the school's football match only to then be crudely ushered off the field with little care. 

On the pitch, Harris is a bright ball carrier and has nous at finding teammates in creative ways. During her five years in Columbia, SC she took set pieces, and boasted a 83% tackle completion rate. 

I really admire this pick, and it was good value with many experts predicting Harris to be the second center back off the board. The former Gamecock should quickly bed into the squad and could even push Ally Prisock for a starting role next to Naughton.

Defensive depth 

As eye-catching and enticing as the Ordoñez trade was, the theme of the Dash's 2023 draft really was defensive depth. Which, coming into the draft, was the club's biggest issue that they needed to address.

"The [Ordoñez] trade was going to affect our approach in the first round, for what we are looking on the attacking side. By securing her you know, we were able to focus on more of I would say on more of the defensive side, which which we needed to add depth and bring in some, some new talent," said Singer. 

In addition to Harris, Jennings and Desiano offer more cover at the two of the thinnest positions on the roster. 

Jennings is a player who Sarah Lowdon will have been keeping tabs on due to her LSU connections. The Dash assistant coach visited Baton Rouge and the soccer program in 2022, and will know Jennings' personality more than some others in the draft. The Texas-born center back was also a team captain throughout her college career. 

Desiano was a player that I personally loved to watch play in 2022. A key player in UCLA's national championship-winning side, it was hard not to be swept away by the right back's performances during the College Cup.

In 2022, the Bruins also led the nation in defensive and attacking statistics. Desiano is an excellent late-round pick-up for the Dash that brings excellence. She's a connective player that knows how to track a marker, reduce space and find teammates after winning the ball back. 

The only criticism of Desiano from scouts will be that injuries robbed her of some early years and she only truly began to take off under coach Margueritte Aozasa. But I believe her potential and 2022 performances more than make up for the doubt. 

With Allysha Chapman likely going to the 2023 World Cup with Canada and approaching her final years in the NWSL, some young fullback help was essential in this draft for Houston. Caprice Dydasco's versatility to play left or right back will also help Desiano adjust more easily when needed. 

Sophie, meet Sophie 

I'm not going to lie and tell you I know a lot about the Dash's second-round pick Sophie Hirst. Playing at Harvard, she's a little off the beaten track when it comes to watching the NCAA. She's probably one of the players I knew the least about when researching players for the 2023 draft. 

Hirst is just the second-ever Harvard player selected in the NWSL Draft, after Midge Purce. She's also just the sixth player ever to be taken from an Ivy League school. 

With all that being said, the Crimsons  have been upsetting the apple cart recently in the college soccer world and Hirst played a big role in Harvard's tournament early-round NCAA tournament wins. Coincidentally, in 2022, Harvard actually lost to South Carolina with both Harris and Hirst playing the full 90 minutes against one another. 

The now former Harvard player's profile is a possessive midfielder who should provide some depth behind Sophie Schmidt. Going over her stats, she appears to be a player, like Schmidt, who can take care of the ball and be a steady builder of attacks. Hirst also has some silky shots from range that found the back of the net, just like the Canadian. 

This was probably the most surprising of the four Houston picks but as another NCAA team captain with a reportedly great work ethic, it very much fit the model of what the Dash were trying to add to their roster. 

"You need to know who they are as a person. You make calls to college coaches, you do your homework. That plays a really big piece. We are looking for good characters. Everybody in this squad needs to be somebody who has the same values as we have coming in. So that was a big part of it," said Singer about her draft selections.