Houston Dash Announce Promotions and Additions to the Staff
NWSL Houston Dash

Houston Dash Announce Promotions and Additions to the Staff

Published on February 11, 2026 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Houston Dash News Release


HOUSTON - The Houston Dash announced two promotions today plus the addition of nine new members to the club's technical, performance, medical and sporting operations staff ahead of the 2026 season.

"Building a high-performance culture requires continuity, growth and the right support around our players and staff," President of Women's Soccer, Angela Hucles Mangano said. "These additions and promotions strengthen our foundation and elevate the day-to-day operations that are vital to our team's success."

Wafaa Chatila was promoted to director of medical after previously serving as the club's head athletic trainer. A Texas native, Chatila joined the Dash in January 2024 following two seasons leading the athletic training department at the Kansas City Current. Her experience spans professional and Division I collegiate athletics, including roles with Texas Tech University, the University of Texas at Arlington and the University of Houston.

Gina Monaco was named equipment manager and enters her second season with the Dash. Monaco joined the club ahead of the 2025 season and brings nearly a decade of experience in professional sports operations. Monaco previously worked with the San Antonio Stars, San Antonio Spurs and Las Vegas Aces, where she served as head equipment manager during the Aces' 2022 WNBA Championship season.

Oscar Rivero joins the Houston Dash as an assistant coach, and he brings more than a decade of experience across professional, collegiate and youth soccer. Most recently with Oakland Roots SC (USL Championship), Rivero has also held coaching roles with Bavarian United SC in Chicago, Loyola University Chicago and the Puerto Rico Men's National Team, with a track record of player-centered development in high-performance environments.

Former MLS standout Matt Pickens adds extensive playing and coaching experience to the Dash staff as an assistant coach and goalkeeper coach. He spent five seasons as the goalkeeper coach at Nashville SC following a 16-year professional playing career that included winning the 2010 MLS Cup title with the Colorado Rapids and 2019 USL Goalkeeper of the Year honors.

Marina Schachowskoj has been hired as a player development coach, bringing experience across professional, collegiate and youth soccer environments. Schachowskoj most recently served as head coach of Flatirons FC's USL W League team and has previously held roles as an assistant coach and performance analyst with El Paso Locomotive FC (USL Championship). She has also served as technical director for Colorado United and coached within the Rapids Youth Soccer Academy.

Ariana Dinberg joins the club as a sports scientist after working across professional and collegiate environments, including FC Cincinnati and the University of Pittsburgh. In her role, she will focus on load management, performance analysis and data visualization to support training periodization, player readiness and injury-risk mitigation.

Matthew Hutton has been named head athletic trainer. Hutton joined the organization in December 2022 as an athletic trainer for the Houston Dynamo Academy before later working as an assistant athletic trainer with Dynamo 2. In addition to his professional soccer experience, he brings a strong background in collegiate athletics, specializing in injury prevention, rehabilitation and return-to-play protocols.

Jeffery Duarte joins the Houston Dash as a strength and conditioning coach, and he brings more than a decade of experience across professional soccer and high-performance environments. Duarte most recently served as a strength and conditioning coach with the Kansas City Current, where he helped support the club's 2025 NWSL Shield-winning season through individual performance programming, injury prevention strategies and season-long periodization planning. His background includes leadership roles as head of performance with Fort Lauderdale United FC and his experience includes performance roles with New York City FC II, the New York Red Bulls organization and Sky Blue FC (now Gotham FC).

Claire Quaassdorff brings professional and collegiate operations experience to the club as team administrator after serving as manager of team operations for Columbus Crew 2 (MLS NEXT Pro) and director of operations for the University of Georgia women's soccer program. She will oversee day-to-day team operations, travel logistics and league administration.

Hannah Mitroff joins the Houston Dash as a dietitian fellow, bringing experience across collegiate and scholastic soccer environments. Mitroff recently served as a sports nutrition consultant for Hope College women's soccer and as a resident dietitian with Chartwells K12, providing evidence-based fueling education and individualized nutrition support. She previously supported performance nutrition initiatives with athletics department at the University of Michigan.

Nhandi Scott joins the club as a physical therapy fellow and brings experience across professional soccer and high-performance clinical settings. Scott previously served as a physical therapy resident with Memorial Hermann Health System and previously completed a student physical therapy internship with the San Jose Earthquakes. She supported first team, second team and academy players in San Jose through evaluations, rehabilitation, performance testing and return-to-play programming.

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