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Houston Dash

Houston Dynamo FC Open Three-Game Homestand and Houston Dash Return to League Play

May 5, 2023 - National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Houston Dash News Release


HOUSTON - Houston Dynamo FC host Real Salt Lake to open a three-game homestand and the Houston Dash return to league play on Saturday, May 6. Houston Dynamo 2 close a two-game road trip on Sunday, May 7 when they face Whitecaps 2 in Canada.

WHO: Houston Dash at OL Reign Houston Dynamo FC vs. Real Salt Lake Houston Dynamo 2 at Vancouver Whitecaps 2

WHEN: Saturday, May 6 - 9:00 p.m. CT Saturday, May 6 - 7:30 p.m. CT Sunday, May 7 - 8:00 p.m. CT

STREAM/TV: Paramount +

Play-by-play: Maura Sheridan and Saskia Webber MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

English: Adrian Healey and Cobi Jones

Spanish: Juan Arango and Carlos Suarez MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

Play-by-play: AJ Ricketts

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

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

DASH TAKE ON OL REIGN

The Houston Dash will travel to the Pacific Northwest for the second time this month to take on OL Reign. Houston enters the match coming off a 2-0 win over Chicago Red Stars in 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup group play on Wednesday, May 3.

Midfielder Bárbara Olivieri scored her first career NWSL goal in the win over Chicago. Olivieri grew up in Katy, Texas, played high school soccer at Tompkins High School and starred at Texas A&M University. Olivieri joined the Dash during the offseason following time in Mexico with Rayadas de Monterrey. Forward Diana Ordóñez converted from the spot for her first goal of 2023 UKG Challenge Cup play in the 72nd minute.

Saturday's match will be the first time Dash head coach Sam Laity returns to Seattle to face his former club. Laity spent more than a decade as an assistant coach for OL Reign and had been with the club since its inception.

OL Reign sits in second place in the league standings behind Portland Thorns. The Reign are unbeaten through the last four games. On April 29, OL Reign played to a 2-2 draw against Racing Louisville FC in Kentucky. After trailing by two goals at the half, the Reign came back to steal a point in dramatic fashion. In the 90th minute defender Alana Cook and forward Jordyn Huitema combined for the equalizer.

The Dash return home to Shell Energy Stadium on Friday, May 12 to host the Portland at 7:30 p.m. for a rematch of the first meeting of the season. Houston traveled to Portland on Friday, April 14 and forced a 1-1 draw in Providence Park. The Dash became the first team to score at Providence Park this season.

DYNAMO RETURN TO SHELL ENERGY STADIUM

The Dynamo return to league action on Saturday after their match against LAFC scheduled for April 29 was moved to June. Houston's last competitive match was a 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the USL Championship on April 26 to advance to the Round of 32 of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Homegrown midfielder Brooklyn Raines scored the lone goal of the match, his first goal with the first team. Goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell earned a clean sheet in his Dynamo debut and that was the fifth shutout for the backline this year in all competitions. Defender Chase Gaspar made his Dynamo debut after joining the team earlier in the month off the waiver wire.

Offensively, forward Sebas Ferreira sparked the game-winning goal on a long ball to forward Corey Baird just outside the box. Baird played the ball back to an oncoming Raines for the deciding goal of the game. Raines spent the bulk of 2022 with Houston Dynamo 2 and finished with one goal and three assists in 17 appearances for the MLS NEXT Pro squad.

Salt Lake visit Shell Energy Stadium after a scoreless draw with Seattle Sounders FC on April 29. That point gave Salt Lake a slight edge over Austin FC in the Western Conference standings. The team currently sits in 10th place with 10 points, just three points shy of the Dynamo, who enter the game in sixth place. Forward Jefferson Savarino currently leads the team with six goal contributions (three goals and three assists). Savarino was also key in the match against Seattle by generating three chances, the most of any player on the field that evening.

The Dynamo host Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday, May 10 in the Round of 32 of the U.S. Open Cup. Houston closes a three-game stretch at Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday, May 13 against the reigning Concacaf Champions League winners, Seattle Sounders FC. Overall, the Dynamo will navigate a seven-match slate in May with six league games and at a minimum one Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match. An additional Open Cup match can be added to the schedule for the end of May pending the result of the Round of 32 match against Kansas City.

DYANMO 2 CROSSES THE BORDER INTO CANADA

Houston Dynamo 2 will close out its two-game road slate with a trip across the Northern border to face Vancouver Whitecaps 2 on Sunday, May 7.

Dynamo Dos returned to winning form on Sunday, April 30 after exploding for four goals in the win over Sporting KC II at Rock Chalk Field in Lawrence, Kansas. Midfielder Diego Gonzalez evened the score at 1-1 early in the first half after forward Yair Gonzalez found the Houston Dynamo Academy product open in the box. Houston took the lead minutes later after forward Papa N'Doye converted a penalty kick. The spot kick was awarded after 16-year-old Zeke Soto, who made his first start in win, won a foul inside the box.

Houston extended its lead in the second half after the Dynamo Dos attack drew another foul in the box that led to a penalty. Yair Gonzalez converted from the spot to give Houston the 3-1 lead. Forward Isaiah Reid scored his first professional goal in the 86th minute to cap off an impressive performance on the road.

Houston closed out the month of April with a 2-2-1 record and look to continue the winning streak as they prepare to face Whitecaps 2, who currently sit in fourth place in the MLS NEXT Pro Western Conference standings with a 3-2-1 overall record. Whitecaps 2 returns home to Swangard Stadium following a 2-1 loss to St. Louis CITY 2 at CITYPark Stadium. Vancouver nearly walked away with a point, but the CITY 2 attack scored in the 84th to earn their first win of the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season.

Last season, Houston beat the Whitecaps in the first meeting between the two teams on March 26, 2022. They later met again on July 29 and played to a 2-2 draw in regulation, Whitecaps 2 won the shootout in Canada.

Dynamo 2 returns to SaberCats Stadium to host Real Monarchs on Sunday, May 14 at 6 p.m. CT.

Here are three key points ahead of the three fixtures:   

ROAD WARRIORS: The Dash are unbeaten in five straight road matches (W3 D2), including earning a win and two draws in its first three road games this year. This run equals the longest unbeaten run away from home in team history, matching its five-match run in May-June last year. The Dash were the only team to beat OL Reign at home during the 2022 regular season. Forward Ebony Salmon scored both goals in Houston's 2-1 win at OL Reign last August. In doing so, Salmon became the first visiting player since Crystal Dunn for North Carolina in 2018 to score multiple goals in a road win at Seattle.

DYNAMO HOST FAMILIAR FOE: Houston and Salt Lake played to a scoreless draw on Opening Day in 2022 in the Bayou City. Salt Lake earned three points in the return fixture in Utah and enter the match with a slight edge in the all-time series with a 13-12-10 (WLD) mark. The Dynamo hold a 10-3-4 mark at home against Real Salt Lake and are unbeaten in their last three games at home versus Salt Lake.

YOUNG FACES STEP UP FOR DYNAMO 2: Forward Zeke Soto earned the first professional start of his career in the Dynamo Dos victory over Sporting KC II on Sunday, April 30. Soto, who has been called up by the USYNT, is a Houston Dynamo Academy product. The 16-year-old striker drew a foul in the box in the 22nd minute that helped Houston take the lead after trailing early. Midfielder Sebastian Rodriguez also earned his first professional start as the lone defensive midfielder. Rodriguez, also a Dynamo Academy product, earned high praise from Dynamo 2 head coach Kenny Bundy after the match, saying he was impressed with the 15-year-old's composure under pressure in a crucial position on the field.

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