“This Is Home”: Twila Kilgore Returns to Houston to Build the Dash’s Next Era

(image via Houston Dash)

For Twila Kilgore, the move into the Houston Dash front office isn’t just a career step. It’s a return, to a club she once coached, to a city she lives in, and to a long-term vision she’s been intentional about shaping since her time with the U.S. Women’s National Team.

“It’s always about being with the right people at the right place at the right time. And that’s exactly what this is… this is home.”

Now officially the Dash’s new technical director, Kilgore arrives in Houston with experience spanning the college game, the NWSL sideline, and the highest levels of international football. She’s worked with some true giants in the sport like Vlatko Andonovski and Emma Hayes. But her focus isn’t on where she’s been. It’s on what Houston can become.

Two Lenses

Kilgore described her new role through what she calls “two lenses.” One lens is immediate, being present with the players and staff on a daily basis. The other is long-term, building sustainability, infrastructure, and competitive advantage for years to come.

“There are actually two lenses,” Kilgore said. “One of the things I’m most excited about is being with the players and staff on the day-to-day. But there’s also this other lens of looking towards long-term trajectory, what the future might look like, what do we need to do now to make sure that there’s real sustainability moving forward?”

That dual perspective marks a clear shift from her recent coaching roles. At the international level, success often comes in short windows with camps, tournaments, qualification cycles. In a front office position, the job is different. It’s about alignment. Structure. Systems. And for Kilgore, that starts with culture, but not the buzzword version.

“Culture’s about clarity, alignment, competitive efficiency across all areas of the program,” she said. “It’s having really effective and efficient processes, but also daily behaviors that match that.” In other words, it’s not just about speeches in the locker room. It’s about how every part of the organization works together.

Building Something Sustainable

The Dash are coming off a strong finish to 2025, with growing optimism around a roster that blends veterans and youth. The club has made significant investments, and the NWSL itself continues to expand rapidly in facilities, visibility, and global reach. Kilgore sees opportunity but she’s careful about shortcuts.

“Winning starts with a playoff berth,” she said. “But it’s not winning at the expense of development and creating an environment that’s really sustainable. We don’t want to just win once.”

She remembers being on the staff during the 2020 Challenge Cup run, when Houston lifted a trophy in a unique tournament setting. The city embraced that team. “Great experience, great team, and the city was really behind us. It was such a fun time in terms of that Challenge Cup and having the city support us,” Kilgore said. But this time, the goal is something more durable.

That sustainability extends to how the Dash operate in a league evolving at speed, from international recruitment to technological advances in analytics and operations.

“The key to making sure that we have accelerated success all the way around is making sure that every single area that our program touches is working in conjunction with each other in a really effective and strategic way,” Kilgore said. The emphasis isn’t just on roster building. It’s on infrastructure.

What Fits in Houston?

When asked what she looks for in players, Kilgore didn’t start with pace, passing range, technical ability, or positional flexibility.

“We want players that want to be here,” she said. “That’s first and foremost.” From there, it’s about alignment, she said, with the club’s playing style and long-term identity under head coach Fabrice Gautrat.

“Players want to come somewhere where they know they’re going to be used for who they are. They can be their true selves and their best selves,” she said. That philosophy blends individual expression with collective structure, something Kilgore believes will define the Dash’s identity.

If everything clicks and the Dash are winning and getting people talking, what will this Houston team be known for? “Humility, hustle, growth mindset, a little bit of swagger, a little bit of the us-against-the-world,” Kilgore said.

And, perhaps most importantly, clarity. “I want them to see a very clear playing identity,” she said. “Real work rate and pride in the city of Houston.”

A City to Represent

For Kilgore, this isn’t just about building a competitive team. It’s about representing Houston itself. A diverse, soccer-rich city with deep potential on both the grassroots and global stage.

She lives here. Her family is here. And that personal connection matters. “We live in one of the best cities maybe in the world,” she said. “I love it here.”

As the Dash aim to make history in 2026 and beyond, Kilgore’s message to supporters was simple: show up.

“You are a big part of what makes this team special,” she said. “Come out and show everybody around the world what we’re all about.”

For Houston, the timing feels significant. This is a club investing, a league accelerating, and a front office hire who sees both the present and the horizon.

Right people. Right place. Right time.

And this time, it’s home.