Where does new Dash signing Andressa Alves fit in Houston?

The NWSL summer transfer window had been officially open for a mere eight hours, and already the Houston Dash has made a splash by acquiring a high-profile international free agent. 

On Wednesday morning, the Texas club announced that it has signed Brazilian Women’s National Team attacking midfielder Andressa Alves. 

“Andressa is a versatile attacking player with a winning mentality who can both score and create goals and has played at the most competitive levels. Her international experience, championship pedigree, and commitment to our team’s success will add tremendous quality and be invaluable to our squad,” said Houston Dash General Manager Alex Singer.

“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,” said Alves.

The São Paulo native joins the Dash after four very successful season in Italy with AS Roma. Notably she helped the "Giallorossi" to win its first-ever Scudetto (League title) this past season by scoring 12 goals. In 2021, Alves was awarded Serie A midfielder of the year and lifted Roma's first-ever trophy, the Coppa Italia. The Brazilian departs a Roma legend, and has accumulated over 100 appearances and 43 goals for the club. 

Prior her time in the Italian capital, Alves had three very successful seasons with FC Barcelona. Across 91 appearances in Catalonia, she scored 35 goals and made 20 assists. A brief, but effective, one-year spell with Montpellier, in France, helped the attacker break into European soccer in 2015-16. 

Just as distinguished for her country, Alves is the eighth most capped Brazilian women's player ever. The 30-year-old has made 106 appearances and scored 21 goals for the Selecao. She has played in two World Cups (2015, 2019), won two CONMNEBOL Copa America titles (2014, 2018) and is in head coach Pia Sundhage's Brazil squad for this summer's World Cup in Australia & New Zealand. 

What kind of player is Alves? 

Over the years, for both and club country, Alves has been used in various positions across the frontline. Her most common deployment has been as a winger. As a natural left footer, she can either be used on the left to make the pitch bigger and stretch the play on the outside, or she can become a very threatening inverted forward and cut inside to shoot. 

However, it's not uncommon for Alves to also play as a more central forward. Even for the Brazilian national team, she's been used as a change of tactic forward to come in and make a difference off the bench. She's quick to shoot whenever there is space. She can hold her run and crash the box too. 

Like current Dash winger Maria Sanchez, Alves' most famous trait is her dribbling. Taking people on, carrying the ball forward and keeping possession in tight spaces is what has made her stand out as a high caliber international player for a decade. 

This is what makes her so dangerous as a number 10, or as a winger, because she can make something happen between the opponent's defensive and midfield lines. It's going to be hard for the Houston fans to not fall in love with her tricks and close control. 

During the 2022-23 season, Roma would often alternate Alves as a winger against better opposition in the Champions League and then as a forward or attacking midfielder against some domestic opponents in Serie A. Last season she made 33% of her appearances as a forward, 30% as an attacking midfielder, 12% as a left winger, 22% as a right winger, and 3% as holding midfielder. 

Even as a forward in a 4-4-2, she could split forward, take up a wider position, and not exist just in classic central spaces or in the box. As a confident shooter, especially from range or unlikely angles, it helped to have her leading the attack as a forward so that she could make goals on her own, or finish chances others served up. Sometimes out of absolutely nothing. 

Where does Alves fit into the Dash? 

When Alves arrives in Houston, she will walk into a seemingly crowded roster that is already loaded with forwards and attacking talent. But that doesn't mean it's clicking. The Dash have scored the fewest amount of goals (10) of any team in the NWSL this season. 

We've already seen Sam Laity struggle to make space for star forward Ebony Salmon in the starting XI, and young attacking midfielder Barbara Olivieri hasn't got much usage either (two appearances, 63 minutes in the NWSL). 

That being said, injuries to Nichelle Prince and Shea Groom have kept two big attacking names at the club on the sidelines. And while midfielder Joelle Anderson has definitely shown signs of improvement in her sophomore season as a professional, there is room on this team for one more creative attacker. Especially one who can break lines, spark attacks, connect the forward line and is confident on the ball. 

Right away the most logical place for Alves in Dash head coach Sam Laity's starting XI is behind the front three as the most advanced midfielder. That way Houston keeps its 4-3-3 system that has been working well the over the past six weeks. 

Wingers Sanchez (three goals, two assists) and Michelle Alozie (one goal, one assist) have been the Dash's two best attackers in 2023, and it is unlikely that Laity would remove them from his "Best XI" down the stretch. 

Like Alves though, Alozie won't suiting up in a Dash kit until after the World Cup. The Nigerian-American has been called up by Nigeria for the tournament. So trying to figure out exactly where Alves fits in could take several weeks. 

Assuming that Brazil goes deep into the tournament, don't expect Alves to be ready for NWSL play until September at the earliest. There's a good chance she only gets to play four or five matches for the Dash this season.

What's the long term plan for Alves? 

With Alves being a key part of Brazil's World Cup plans, the 2023 NWSL season isn't really where Dash fans can expect to see the most of her. This signing feels like the first piece of Singer's roster build for next year. She could be viewed as the key creator for Houston in 2024, and even 2025.

Alves' similar playing profile to Sanchez could suggest that this is a preemptive replacement for the Mexican-American fan favorite who is out of contract in December. Similarly, Salmon - who is a different type of forward all together, a counter-attacking number nine that can stretch backlines and play on the shoulder - is also out of contract at the end of 2023 season. 

Using an international roster spot on a world class veteran, who is used to winning and being the focal point in a team, is not a small bit of business. Furthermore, as a free agent, it is likely that Alves got a more favorable salary because no transfer fees or allocation money needed to change hands between clubs to make the move possible.

Last week, Singer spoke to the media in Houston and I inquired about whether discussions were underway to extend Sanchez and Salmon's contracts, or whether the club would listen to trades before their contract expires. 

"I wouldn't be surprised if there are other teams that are potentially interested in pursuing them. But right now they're both very important players to our squad," she responded. 

The NWSL transfer window will shut on July 25, just five days after the start of the 2023 World Cup. The Dash currently sit in seventh place in the standings, one place and two points outside the playoffs.