The Houston Dash have selected Fabrice Gautrat as their new head coach, according to multiple sources informed The Equalizer.
Gautrat previously worked as an assistant coach for both the North Carolina Courage and Chicago Red Stars. He will now be the sixth full-time head coach in Dash history, but the seventh person to lead the team, including interim coaches, since the beginning of the 2022 season.
At 37 years old, Gautrat is the husband of Morgan Gautrat (formerly Brian), a two-time World Cup champion and current midfielder for the NWSL champions, Orlando Pride.
A Dash spokesperson declined to provide further comments.
In early December, Houston also welcomed Angela Hucles Mangano, who previously served as the general manager of Angel City FC, as the team’s new president of women’s soccer.
Gautrat served as an assistant coach in Chicago in 2022 before joining the Courage’s coaching staff in 2023. He contributed to North Carolina’s consecutive playoff appearances and their 2023 Challenge Cup victory.
Before transitioning to coaching, Gautrat had a brief professional playing career.
Since Fran Alonso’s disappearance in late June, Houston has been without a full-time head coach. Alonso was eventually let go in September after the club cited his failure to return from personal leave. While neither Houston nor Alonso disclosed the reason for his absence, Alonso later mentioned that it wasn’t a health issue and that he was bound by a confidentiality agreement preventing him from providing more details.
Originally planning to hire a general manager after Alex Singer’s dismissal in late June, Houston had to reset their timeline for a new coach after restarting the search in late November.
Hucles Mangano was appointed as the president of women’s soccer on December 9, taking over the GM responsibilities after her departure from Angel City FC was announced four days earlier.
This marks Gautrat’s first experience as head coach of a professional team.
