Rachel Daly


Rachel Ann Daly is an English footballer who plays for the Houston Dash in the NWSL and the England national team. She is the Houston Dash captain as of 2020.

College career

Despite playing just three years for the St. John's University Red Storm, Daly set the school's career records for both goals and points. As a freshman, she did not see game action due to NCAA compliance regulations. During her second year, she played and started in all 21 games and set St. John’s single-season records in goals and points, becoming the program’s first-ever player to be named a NSCAA All-American, after earning Second Team honours.
As a junior, she was the team's leading player in points with 18, including 8 goals and 2 assists. As a senior, she appeared in 20 games, making 19 starts, and finished as the leading scorer on the team with 19 goals and 5 assists for a total of 18 points. She became the first player in program history to be selected to the NSCAA All-America First Team and the first to be named a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy.

Club career

Houston Dash, 2016–present

Daly was selected by NWSL club Houston Dash as the sixth overall pick of the 2016 NWSL College Draft. The NWSL Media Association voted Daly Player of the Week for the first week of the season after she contributed a goal and an assist in the Dash's 3–1 win against the Chicago Red Stars. She appeared in 16 games in the 2016 season, tallying four goals and four assists.
Daly returned to the Dash for the 2017 season, appearing in 23 games and scoring 5 goals. On 20 November 2017 the Houston Dash announced that Daly had signed a new contract with the club.
In the 2018 season Daly was named Player of the Week for week 9, as well as Player of the Month for the month of May. Daly started all 24 games for the Dash and scored a career high 10 goals. She was voted team MVP and named to the NWSL Second XI for the 2018 season.
Daly was named captain of the Dash ahead of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup. The Dash won the Cup, their first trophy, after a 2-0 win over the Chicago Red Stars in the final. Daly won the tournament Golden Boot and on 25 July 2020 was named tournament MVP.

International career

Daly has represented England at the U-15, U-17, U-19, and U-23 levels. She was a member of England’s U-17 FIFA Women’s World Cup team that finished fourth in New Zealand in 2008.
When Mark Sampson replaced Hope Powell as England coach, he named Daly in his first squad in December 2013. She won her first senior cap in June 2016, scoring in England's 7–0 UEFA Women's Euro 2017 qualifying win over Serbia. Daly was left off Sampson's squad for Euro 2017.
After not being called up for nearly a year, Daly was included in England's squad for the 2018 SheBelieves Cup by new head coach Phil Neville. Daly featured in four of England's World Cup qualifying games in 2018, as England won their group and qualified for the 2019 World Cup. She won the 2019 SheBelieves Cup with England, where she appeared in two games and played all 90 minutes in a 2–2 draw against the United States.

International goals

GoalDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.4 June 2016Adams Park, High Wycombe, England3–07–0Euro 2017 qualifying
2.4 September 2018Tsentralniy, Pavlodar, Kazakhstan2–06–02019 World Cup qualifying
3.8 November 2018BSFZ-Arena, Maria Enzersdorf, Austria3–03–0Friendly

Personal life

Daly is a lesbian. She is in a relationship with Houston Dash teammate Kristie Mewis. She previously dated Mewis's former teammate Sarah Gorden.

Honours

Club

Leeds United
Houston Dash
England