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MLS Houston Dynamo FC

Houston Dynamo FC Close Three-Game Homestand and Houston Dash Host NWSL Champions

May 11, 2023 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Houston Dynamo FC News Release


HOUSTON - Houston Dynamo FC host Seattle Sounders FC to close a three-game homestand and the Houston Dash host the reigning NWSL champions this weekend. Houston Dynamo 2 close the week when they host Real Monarchs at SaberCats Stadium.

WHO: Houston Dash vs Portland Thorns Houston Dynamo FC vs. Seattle Sounders FC Houston Dynamo 2 vs Real Monarchs

WHEN: Friday, May 12 - 7:30 p.m. CT Saturday, May 13 - 7:30 p.m. CT Sunday, May 14 - 6:00 p.m. CT

STREAM/TV: TV: AT&T SportsNet SW

Play-by-play: Glenn Davis

Color Commentary: Katie Goodman

STREAM: Paramount +

Play-by-play: Jacqui Oatley

Color Commentary: Tony Meola MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

English: Mark Rogondino and Heath Pearce

Spanish: Adrian Garcia Marquez and Francisco Pinto MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

Play-by-play: Josh Tolle

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

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

DASH HOST REGINING NWSL CHAMPIONS

The Dash return to Shell Energy Stadium for the first of two back-to-back home matches. Houston hosts the Portland Thorns on Friday, May 12 at 7:30 pm. The Dash are coming off a 2-0 loss on the road against OL Reign, who sit on top of the NWSL standings.

Houston will honor Dash captain Sophie Schmidt before the match after the midfielder hit 100 career regular-season NWSL appearances on Friday, April 28 in the match against North Carolina Courage. Schmidt has appeared in every match this season for the Dash. At an international level, Schmidt won the 2020 Olympic Gold medal with the Canadian Women's National Team. The Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada native has more than 220 career appearances for Canada and is the third player in Canadian Women's Football history to reach that milestone.

Friday's match will mark the first regular season rematch for the Dash. On Saturday, April 14 the Dash traveled to the Pacific Northwest for the first meeting between Houston and Portland. The match ended in a 1-1 draw and Houston became the first team to score at Providence Park this season. Forward María Sánchez scored the equalizer in the 24th minute of the match.

Houston's defense has played a key role in stopping several dynamic opposing front lines, many of which feature USWNT stars. In Houston's 0-0 draw against the Washington Spirit on Saturday, April 22, defender Allysha Chapman was 7-for-7 in attempted tackles and primarily guarded Spirit forward Trinity Rodman. In Houston's first road match of the season, Chapman made a key goal line save off a corner kick in the 89th minute to help preserve a 2-1 lead against the Chicago Red Stars.

Portland enters Friday's match after a 3-3 draw on the road against North Carolina. The Thorns, who are in second place in the league, stole a point from the Courage after 17-year-old Olivia Moultrie scored the equalizer in the 83rd minute of regulation. NWSL and USWNT veteran Crystal Dunn scored a brace in the match against North Carolina. Dunn also scored in the ninth minute of the first game between the Dash and Portland.

DYNAMO RETURN TO SHELL ENERGY STADIUM

The Dynamo close a three-game homestand on Saturday when they host Seattle Sounders FC. Both teams return to league play after midweek matches in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Dynamo held Sporting Kansas City scoreless in their 1-0 victory on Wednesday to advance to the Round of 16. Seattle lost to the LA Galaxy in Southern California on Wednesday evening.

Dynamo forward Thor Ulfarsson tallied the lone goal in Houston's victory on Wednesday and that was his fifth goal for the club in all competitions. The rookie forward scored four goals in league play last year. Goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell earned his second clean sheet of the year and donned the captain armband for the team yesterday.

Five players made their club debuts in Wednesday's victory, including defender Mujeeb Murana, defender Djevencio van der Kust, forward Aliyu Ibrahim, midfielder Charles Auguste and defender Talen Maples. Murana and Maples spent the majority of 2022 with Houston Dynamo 2 and led the team to the postseason in the inaugural MLS NEXT Pro campaign. Ibrahim arrived in Houston on Saturday, May 6 and tallied his first minutes for the club after joining the Dynamo on a full transfer from NK Lokomotiva Zagreb in Croatia.

The Dynamo lost the season series against the Sounders in 2022 and look to earn their first victory since a 2-1 triumph at home on Oct. 16, 2021. Houston enters the match with a 5-3-4 record (WLD) at home against the Sounders.

The Sounders look to bounce back after their midweek loss in California and their 2-1 loss to Kansas City in league play on May 7. The Sounders currently sit in first place in the Western Conference with a 6-3-2 (WLD) record.

DYANMO 2 RETURNS HOME TO SABERCATS STADIUM

Houston Dynamo 2 is back at SaberCats Stadium for the first time this month. Dynamo Dos wrapped up a two-road game stretch on Sunday, May 7 against Whitecaps 2 at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Houston went 1-1-0 (WLD) during the stretch away from the Bayou City. On April 30, Dynamo 2 earned its biggest win of the season with a 4-1 rout of Sporting KC II in Lawrence, Kansas. Four different players scored in the victory. Forwards Isaiah Reid and Yair Gonzalez both scored their first MLS NEXT Pro goals. Reid, selected No. 34 overall in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft, scored the final goal of the game after being a second-half substitute. Gonzalez, who also made his first Dynamo 2 start, scored the second penalty kick of the match after Reid was fouled in the box.

Real Monarchs enter Sunday's match following a 2-1 loss to Tacoma Defiance. Much like Dynamo 2, Real Monarchs have had a tough start to the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro campaign with a 3-4-0 (WLD) overall record. The MLS NEXT Pro affiliate of Real Salt Lake currently sits one spot above Houston Dynamo 2 in the MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference standings. Real Monarchs earned a 5-1 victory over Timbers 2 on April 30.

Houston is undefeated against Real Monarchs after beating the Utah based team twice during the 2022 MLS NEXT Pro season. Houston defeated Real Monarchs in commanding fashion 4-1 on July 10 at SaberCats Stadium. On May 25, 2022, Houston took a 1-0 victory over Real Monarchs at Zion Bank Stadium.

Dynamo Dos will hit the road once again to take on North Texas SC on Sunday, May 21 at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

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

CHAPMAN'S 100: Defender Allysha Chapman is set to make her 100th career NWSL appearance in the match against Portland on Friday. Chapman has been a mainstay in the Houston defense since first arriving as an allocated player during the 2015 season. The 34-year-old has appeared in all six of Houston's regular season matches this year and joins fellow Canadian Sophie Schmidt to reach the century milestone. The Oshawa, Ontario, Canada native won the 2020 Olympic Gold Medal with Canada during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Chapman has made 96 career appearances for the Canadian Women's National Team.

CLARK KEY IN DYNAMO UNBEATEN STRETCH: Goalkeeper Steve Clark has tallied 11 clean sheets in his two seasons with the Dynamo. All five of his clean sheets this season have come at home as the Dynamo opened the year with a 4-0-1 (WLD) record at Shell Energy Stadium. The shot stopper needs three more clean sheets this season to match his regular season record set in 2014 and matched in 2016 with the Columbus Crew. Clark has made 30 saves this season and saved 79 percent of the on-target shots he has faced. He looks to earn his seventh victory against the Sounders in regular season play and enters with a 6-5-1 (WLD) record against Seattle in league play.

FIRST TEAM OPPORTUNITY: Defender Talen Maples and midfielder Diego Gonzalez were signed to short-term loans by Houston Dynamo FC. Maples and Gonzalez joined the Dynamo first team for their midweek match against Sporting KC for the Round of 32 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match at Shell Energy Stadium on Wednesday. Maples made his Dynamo debut in the 85th minute of the match as a second-half substitute in the 1-0 win. Gonzalez was available off the bench for the first team and could feature in the future as part of the short-term loan mechanism.

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