Houston Dash sign Meleana Shim

Tuesday, the Houston Dash announced the signing of Meleana Shim. The midfielder joins the team from Swedish club Vaxjo DFF. Shim is a left footed midfielder who is also capable of playing at forward.

The Hawaii native played college soccer for the Santa Clara University from 2009-2012. Shim signed as a discovery player in 2013 with the Portland Thorns after going undrafted in the NWSL College Draft. Playing with the Thorns from 2013 to 2017, Shim scored nine goals and had nine assists in her 74 appearances. While in Portland she initially played for the club at forward but eventually moved back to the midfield.

She was briefly a Houston Dash member when the club selected her with their fourth pick in the 2014 Expansion Draft. However, she never actually donned a Dash jersey as she was traded back to the Thorns during the college draft a week later. In 2015, she was loaned to Japanese football team Iga Kunoichi FC, but did not get any game minutes while on loan. She joined Vaxjo DFF in 2017 and appeared in two games for the Swedish side.

Shim was expected to sign with the Dash after being included on the team’s preseason roster where she is listed as a forward.

The Dash are preparing to head to the Pacific Northwest for the Thorns Spring Invitational. The 2018 season kicks off for the Dash against the Chicago Red Stars on March 25 at BBVA Compass Stadium.