NWSL’s Houston Dash Fire Assistant Coach for Alleged Relationship With Player, per Report

Matt Lampson—a goalkeeping coach for the NWSL’s Houston Dash—has been fired and suspended for the remainder of the 2024 season after allegedly engaging in a relationship with a player, according to a Wednesday report from Theodore Lloyd-Hughes of The Equalizer.

“Houston Dash goalkeeper coach Matt Lampson was terminated on March 18. We respect the privacy and confidentiality of our players and employees and will not comment on specific details of Club employment matters,” the Dash told Lloyd-Hughes in a statement.

On Thursday, the NWSL confirmed to The Athletic that Lampson was fired for violating the league’s anti-fraternization policy, adding that it “did not find a violation of the NWSL Anti-Harassment Policy which is focused on preventing abusive, discriminatory, or harassing behavior.”

Lampson, a former MLS goalie for four teams, had worked for Houston since 2022.

The NWSL’s work culture has been in the national spotlight for years, and particularly since a 2022 report from former acting Attorney General Sally Yates found that “institutional failures” perpetuated a “misconduct issue.”