Houston Dash fire GM Alex Singer with team in 12th place

The Houston Dash fired general manager Alex Singer on Thursday. The NWSL club said the search for a new GM will begin immediately and no other details were provided.

The Dash are currently in 12th place in the 14-team league, with just three wins through 16 matches (3-8-5), and have been operating without head coach Fran Alonso for nearly a month.

Houston has said repeatedly in statements that Alonso has an illness, but no further details have been provided.

Assistant Ricky Clarke has been the acting coach for the past three games, beginning with a June 28 loss to the Kansas City Current . He is expected to be in charge again on Sunday when Houston host Tigres in the NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup.

Singer, 36, took over the role in Houston on Aug. 24, 2022, and the Dash have cycled through coaches since. Later in 2022, Juan Carlos Amoros passed on taking the Dash coaching job despite leading Houston to its first playoff appearance as an interim coach.

Amoros joined NJ/NY Gotham FC in 2023 and went on to win the 2023 NWSL Championship with the team.

Singer's first coaching hire was longtime Seattle Reign FC assistant Sam Laity ahead of the 2023 season. Laity was fired before the completion of that campaign, despite the Dash still mathematically in playoff contention.

Alonso was hired in December, becoming the Dash's fifth coach since the start of 2022. His arrival in Houston was delayed by visa issues and he missed several weeks of preseason.

A few weeks into the season, winger María Sánchez demanded a trade shortly after signing what was, at the time, an NWSL record contract. She was then traded to the San Diego Wave for $500,000 in total compensation ahead of the NWSL's transfer deadline in April.

Singer, a defender, played professionally in the U.S., Australia , Sweden and Germany from 2006-15, including a stint with the NWSL's Washington Spirit from 2014-15. Before joining the Dash, she worked at the sports agency Octagon.

Information from Reuters was used in this story.