Houston Dash are expected to part ways with winger Maria Sanchez, sources have confirmed to CBS Sports. The Mexican attacker will join San Diego Wave FC as the deal was finalized on Friday during the league’s transfer deadline.
Pro Soccer Wire first reported the news that the 28-year-old will head to San Diego in exchange for a transfer fee. Sources have also confirmed to CBS Sports that the transfer fee is expected to break a domestic record.
Sanchez signed a then record-setting contract with Houston in December for three years with an option valued at $1.5 million. The franchise found itself in another year of restructuring, hiring new head coach Fran Alonso. He’s the fifth head coach in the team’s 10-year history.
Just four months later, the franchise player requested a trade in March, and a Houston spokesperson told ESPN, “Maria Sanchez is under contract, a choice she made in free agency at the end of 2023,” as news broke of the player’s wishes to leave the club.
Houston is near the bottom of the standings, 11th place in a 14-team league, as the NWSL regular season heads into Week 5.
It’s been a rapid descent from December to April between Sanchez and the club. Sources further confirmed to CBS Sports that unresolved issues with club executives led to the trade request, and that Sanchez is not the only Dash player on the trading block. Rival teams have expressed interest in additional attackers on the Dash, along with goalkeeper Emily Alvarado, who could be on the move as the window closes at midnight.
