Houston – Abby Onstad is the daughter of Pat Onstad, General Manager of the Houston Dynamo.
“I feel like it’s been really great having a dad that is so invested in the sports world because it’s gotten me different places I never would have expected to be,” Abby said.
She has grown up around professional soccer her entire life and her dad always implored her and her brothers to give 100% effort.
“I’ve always thought it was normal, He’s really supportive, he always wants us to do the best whether it’s sports or if it’s in the classroom, or personal life, he never fails to be there for us,” she said.
Originally, Pat didn’t particularly want his kids to play soccer.
“She took a liking to it, funny enough, I probably discouraged her all along the way but she seemed to really enjoy it,” Pat admitted.
She enjoyed it enough to pursue a position Pat Onstad is known for being legendary at…goalie.
“My wife Becky and I have raised the kids as we don’t want to put extra pressure on the kids. I think choosing to be a soccer player is one thing and choosing to be goalie is another. The one thing we do know about Abby, is out of the three of our kids, she is the one that loves that, she embraces that, she likes the pressure, she likes being a leader. So, I think for us it was a natural fit,” he said.
It’s safe to say Pat is proud of his daughter.
“I think in any group there are people that rise to the top that are kind of leaders, people look to them and I think for her naturally, when you watch her play, the team rallies around her and kind of expects her to lead, that part has been really rewarding,” Pat said.
The Dynamo will host Sporting Kansas City for the Houston home opener on Saturday, February 24 at 7:30pm CST.
Tickets are available at https://www.houstondynamofc.com/tickets/