The Houston Dash added Assistant Coach Ricky Clarke and Head Performance Analyst Michael Poma to its technical staff, the team announced today. Clarke most recently served as an assistant coach with the Georgia State University Women’s Soccer program and as an assistant coach with NWSL’s OL Reign. Poma returns to the Dash after serving as the Head of Analytics during the 2022 NWSL season with San Diego Wave FC.
Clarke joins the Dash with over 20 years of coaching experience at the youth, collegiate and professional level and brings a deep background in coaching education and player development. Prior to joining the Dash, Clarke served as an assistant coach alongside Dash Head Coach Sam Laity, helping lead OL Reign to the semifinals of the NWSL postseason in 2021.
“I’m absolutely delighted that we’ve been able to bring Ricky and his wife Leigh to the Houston Dash. Having worked with Ricky for many years, I knew his character, professionalism and class would be a warm addition to the club, both on and off the field. His knowledge and understanding of the game will amplify the qualities that we already have on staff and is a really positive addition to the team behind the team,” said Laity.
Clarke currently holds a USSF A License, USSF Youth License, United Soccer Coaches Master Coach Diploma and United Soccer Coaches Premier Diploma. Through his coaching experiences, Clarke also created and built one of the most engaging coaching platforms, Master Coach Online, serving individual athletes, teams, and educating coaches around the world while offering various programing and courses to enhance player performance.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to join the Houston Dash. I’m excited to renew my professional partnership with Sam and become part of his experienced technical staff. I’m eager to collaborate with the players and start contributing to the team’s success, both on and off the field,” said Clarke.
Poma will work in tandem with Houston’s technical staff and Dash General Manager Alex Singer to support all analysis needs within the team and identify areas of growth. Poma joins the Dash after spending the 2022 season with San Diego Wave FC during the expansion team’s inaugural campaign.
“Michael is a talented and motivated individual who I'm glad to have on board with our staff. It’s been a pleasure working with him thus far, and I am excited at what the future holds as we build out our analytics department in support of the coaching staff, scouting philosophy, player development, and overall club vision. Both Ricky and Michael are tremendous additions to the team we’re building.” said Singer.
With the Wave, Poma served as the Head of Analytics, where he managed the development and execution of the club’s sporting analytics initiatives. The Wave finished with the third best record in the NWSL and reached the semifinals in 2022. Poma previously worked with Dash during the 2021 regular season as a performance analyst. Poma will manage operations of daily video analysis needs through training, working closely with the technical staff in team and oppositional analysis, as well as implementation of code and data driven workflows across the technical and scouting team.
“I am honored to be back with the Dash and excited about the direction the club is heading. I am looking forward to continuing to work with Alex, Sam, the staff and the players to hit new milestones for the club,” said Poma.
