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NWSL Houston Dash

Houston Dynamo FC and Houston Dash Return to Shell Energy Stadium

March 24, 2023 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Houston Dash News Release


HOUSTON - The Houston Dash open the 2023 NWSL season and Houston Dynamo FC will close a two-game homestand at Shell Energy Stadium this weekend. Houston Dynamo 2 will also open the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season when they face Austin FC II later today in the state capitol.

WHO: Houston Dynamo 2 at Austin FC II Houston Dynamo FC vs. New York City FC Houston Dash vs. Racing Louisville FC

WHEN: Friday, March 24 - 8:00 p.m. CT Saturday, March 25 - 7:30 p.m. CT Sunday, March 26 - 6:00 p.m. CT

TV or STREAM: MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

English: Mark Rogondino and Heath Pearce

Spanish: Adrian Garcia Marquez and Francisco Pinto TV: AT&T SportsNet Southwest (Glenn Davis and Jessica Stamp)

STREAM: Paramount +

RADIO: - ESPN 97.5 FM: (Glenn Davis and Bobby Boswell)

TUDN Deportes Houston 93.3 FM: (Daniel Mejia and Cesar Procel) -

DYNAMO HOST NEW YORK CITY

Houston earned their first three points of the season last Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Austin FC at Shell Energy Stadium. This was the first match of the year at the newly renovated venue that welcomed 19,000 fans on a chilly evening in the Bayou City. Houston took the lead in the 71st minute after the Dynamo were awarded a penalty kick following a handball inside the box. Amine Bassi earned his first start of the year and he converted the penalty kick for his first goal of the season.

Defensively, the Dynamo earned their first clean sheet of the season and goalkeeper Steve Clark finished with five saves. This was the 51st clean sheet for the Dynamo shot stopper and his first since a 0-0 draw with Sporting Kansas City at home on Sept. 10.

The Dynamo doubled their lead in the 86th minute after Hector Herrera and Griffin Dorsey combined for a give-and-go inside the box. Dorsey found the Dynamo captain in the heart of the box for a one-touch finish. That was Herrera's first goal in MLS and he earned MLSSoccer.com Team of the Matchday honors for his performance against Austin.

This is the first meeting between both teams since the 2019 season and the first match in Houston since 2018. Saturday's match is the sixth meeting between both sides and New York City enters with a slight advantage with a 2-1-2 (WLD) record. The teams have split the two meetings in Houston with the Dynamo earning three points on May 25, 2018, in the last meeting between both sides in Texas.

New York City have won two consecutive games and claimed a 3-2 victory at home against D.C. United on Saturday. Santiago Rodriguez scored his first goal of the season in the victory and the midfielder returned to MLS after a brief stint with Montevideo City Torque in his native Uruguay. The Dynamo backline will be tasked with containing both Rodriguez and a Brazilian duo that combine for two goals and one assist in the first four games of the season. Talles Magno and Thiago Andrade tallied their first goal of the season in the victory over D.C. United.

The Dynamo travel to PayPal Park next weekend to face the San Jose Earthquakes. The team returns to Shell Energy Stadium on April 8 to host the LA Galaxy.

DASH OPEN 10TH CAMPAIGN IN NWSL

The Houston Dash open the 2023 NWSL season on Sunday under the direction of head coach Sam Laity. They host a Racing Louisville FC squad that is looking to turn the corner after finishing in ninth place for the second consecutive season.

The Dash finished the 2022 campaign with a 10-6-6 (WLD) record and qualified for the postseason for the first time in team history. The squad earned the bulk of their points on the road and finished with a 7-2-2 mark away from the Bayou City. The team will open with three of their first four regular season games on the road and return to Shell Energy Stadium on April 19 to host the Kansas City Current in the first Challenge Cup match of the year.

Houston will look to capitalize on the time they have with players eligible to compete at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand. That list includes veteran defender Allysha Chapman, forward Nichelle Prince, 2022 team MVP Sophie Schmidt and forward Ebony Salmon, who won the team's Golden Boot after scoring nine goals last season.

Defensively, the Dash backline will feature goalkeeper Jane Campbell, one of three players in team history to reach 100 regular season games with the Dash. The shot stopper was named the team Defender of the Year in 2022, her sixth team award since being drafted by the Dash in the 2017 NWSL College Draft. Katie Lind and Ally Prisock will also play a key role in the backline this campaign. The center back duo started every game for the team in 2022 and look improve on one of the best defensive marks for the team in regular season play.

Louisville added NWSL veteran and former NWSL Defender of the Year Abby Erceg over the offseason in a bid to retool their backline. Racing conceded the third most goals in 2022 with 35 and finished with a negative 12 goal differential. Carson Pickett was also added to the roster, which features goalkeeper Katie Lund, one of the more consistent players for the lavender and mint in 2022.

The Dash open a two-game road trip next Saturday, April 1 in Bridgeview, Illinois against the Chicago Red Stars. The team closes the road trip on Friday, April 14 against the Portland Thorns.

DYANMO 2 RETURNS FOR SECOND MLS NEXT PRO SEASON

Dynamo 2 opens the 2023 campaign against a new in-state rival, Austin FC II, who will kick off its inaugural MLS Next Pro campaign at Parmer Field later today.

Dynamo 2 head coach Kenny Bundy returns to the sidelines after guiding the team to a 13-1-4 overall regular season record and a berth to the postseason. A core of Bundy's staff returns to the sideline alongside him and the team recently announced the addition of Ryan Thompson as an assistant coach and director of goalkeeping.

Key players such as Talen Maples. Jacob Evans and Papa N'Doye return for their second season in MLS NEXT Pro. Maples anchored the Dynamo Dos backline and helped make the team one of the stingiest teams in the Western Conference, who only conceded four goals at home all year. The team finished with 11 clean sheets in the 2022 regular season.

Houston added midfielder Yair Gonzalez from Argentina Juniors to strengthen the attack. Additionally, the team added Ify Udanoh, a defender that came up through the Tottenham Academy and played in the U-18 English Premier League.

Here are three key points ahead of the three fixtures: ‚ ‚ ‚

DYNAMO NAVIGATE INTERNATIONAL BREAK: The Dynamo will be without midfielder Adalberto "Coco" Carrasquilla on Saturday. The midfielder reported for international duty earlier this week for the Concacaf Nations League match against Costa Rica. Carrasquilla has four key passes in three games for the Dynamo and leads the team with 17 shot creating actions. Saturday's match will be the first time this year that the midfield features a new starter following a consistent lineup beginning in January at the start of preseason.

DASH ADD MORE OPTIONS IN FINAL THIRD: The Dash made a key acquisition moments before the 2023 NWSL Draft via a trade for Diana Ordonez. The second-year player set a new rookie record last season with 12 goals and will be a favorite for the Golden Boot. She will share the field with Ebony Salmon, who finished with nine goals for the team and her teammate from the Mexican Women's National Team, Maria Sanchez. Houston will also look to add Nichelle Prince to the rotation once healthy and the team added a local playmaker in Barbara Olivieri last month. The Katy, Texas native began her professional career in Mexico after a stellar collegiate career at Texas A&M.

DYNAMO 2 FACE IN-STATE RIVAL TO OPEN SEASON: Last summer MLS NEXT Pro announced the addition of seven new teams for the 2023 season. Austin FC II was among the new batch of newly formed second teams. Dynamo 2 head coach Kenny Bundy, who is returning for his second season with the team, said the addition of MLS Next Pro teams ‚ across the country not only provides more games but gives players and coaches a variety of other competitive challenges. Dynamo 2 returns a core of players from last season's 13-1-4 team and added new players both externally and internally through the Houston Dynamo Academy.

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from March 24, 2023


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