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MLS Houston Dynamo FC

Houston Dynamo FC Visit Red Bull Arena and Houston Dash Return to League Play

April 14, 2023 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Houston Dynamo FC News Release


HOUSTON - Houston Dynamo FC travel to the East Coast this weekend to face New York Red Bulls and the Houston Dash return to league play on Friday evening. Houston Dynamo 2 return to SaberCats Stadium on Sunday, April 16 to host LAFC 2.

WHO: Houston Dash at Portland Thorns FC Houston Dynamo FC at New York Red Bulls Houston Dynamo 2 vs. LAFC 2

WHEN: Friday, April 14 - 9:30 p.m. CT Saturday, April 15 - 6:30 p.m. CT Sunday, April 16 - 6:30 p.m. CT

STREAM/TV: CBS Sports Network

Play-by-play: JP Dellacamera and Carli Lloyd

MLS Season Pass on Apple TV

English: Steve Cangialosi and Danny

Higginbotham

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

Play-by-play: Matt Pedersen

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

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

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DASH SHIFT FOCUS TO LEAGUE PLAY

The Houston Dash takes on the reigning NWSL champion, Portland Thorns FC, on Friday evening at Providence Park in Oregon. Houston is looking to become the first team to win three straight road matches in Portland on Friday. The Dash enter the weekend with a 1-0-1 overall record this season with several players returning from international duty.

Shell Energy Stadium hosted an international friendly between the Mexican Women's National Team and Houston on Tuesday night that provided the technical staff with an opportunity to look at some of the newest additions in a competitive environment.

With three games across an eight-day stretch, head coach Sam Laity mentioned in his postgame press conference that coaches will rely on new and younger players to help manage the game and travel demand throughout the season. Five players made their professional debuts in the friendly against Mexico, including all of Houston's 2023 NWSL Draft picks. Houston's rookie class of Jyllissa Harris, Madelyn Desiano, Sophie Hurst and Lindisi Jennings earned the start. Goalkeeper Savannah Madden logged her first professional minutes after coming in as a second-half substitute. Defender Katie Lind (formerly Naughton), who had been sidelined through the first two games of the regular season due to injury, made her 2023 debut.

Friday marks Houston's second consecutive road game in league play. On Saturday, April 1, Houston defeated the Chicago Red Stars at SeatGeek Stadium for the team's first win of the season. Forwards María Sánchez and Diana Ordóñez scored the first two goals of the year for the team. Sánchez and Ordóñez became the first pair of Mexican teammates to score in a single NWSL match. With the victory, the Dash have three consecutive road wins dating back to 2022. Since last season, the Dash have a league best 26 points in road games with an 8-2-2 record away from home.

Last season, Houston traveled to the Rose City and earned its second straight win in Portland. Midfielder Sophie Schmidt, who played collegiately at the University of Portland, scored in the 2-0 win to help Houston become one of two teams to beat the Thorns at Providence Park that season.

Portland enters the match following a 4-1 win on the road over the Kansas City Current. Forward Sophia Smith scored three goals enroute to recording her first career hat trick. Smith leads the NWSL in scoring with four goals. Portland leads the league with most shots on goal with 24 through two games.

DYNAMO VISIT RED BULL ARENA

The Dynamo travel to Red Bull Arena for the first time since the 2018 season on Saturday for their first meeting with the New York Red Bulls since 2019. The Dynamo last faced the Red Bulls in Houston on July 3, 2019, and earned three points after a 4-0 victory.

Houston earned their third victory of the season last Saturday with a 3-0 victory over the LA Galaxy. Captain Héctor Herrera scored the opening goal of the match off a set piece, his second goal of the year. Forward Amine Bassi finished with a brace and scored in his fourth consecutive game. He converted a penalty kick in the second half, his fourth consecutive goal from the spot in as many games, a new MLS record. Bassi and defender Franco Escobar earned MLSSoccer.com Team of the Matchday honors following their performance against the Galaxy.

Defensively, goalkeeper Steve Clark earned his third shutout of the season. Clark finished with three saves as he tallied his 53rd clean sheet in league play.

The Red Bulls opened a two-game homestand with a 1-1 draw with the San Jose Earthquakes. Tom Barlow scored in the final minutes of the match to secure a point for the Red Bulls. That was the fifth goal scored by the team this season and the Red Bulls are tied for the second fewest goals scored in the Eastern Conference. The team will be without forward Dante Vanzeir after he used a racial slur during the match against the 'Quakes. The league opened an investigation into the incident and additional information will follow.

The team is looking for their first victory since a 2-1 triumph over the Columbus Crew on March 18 at home. The team has missed midfielder Lewis Morgan with a hip injury since March 11. Morgan led the team in goals last season with 14 and tallied four assists. Luquinhas also missed the match against the Earthquakes and is recovering from an adductor injury.

The Dynamo return to Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday, April 22 to host Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami at 7:30 p.m. CT. Houston will then begin play in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup when they visit Florida on April 26 to face the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The Dynamo close the month in California three days later when they face LAFC.

DYANMO 2 RETURN TO SABERCATS STADIUM

Houston Dynamo 2 look to earn back-to-back wins Sunday evening as the team hosts LAFC 2. Houston is also searching for their first home win of the year on Sunday against the MLS NEXT Pro affiliate of reigning MLS Cup champion LAFC.

Houston scored three goals on the road against St. Louis CITY SC 2 on Friday, April 7. Forward Papa N'Doye scored in back-to-back games to give Houston the lead. N'Doye also recorded an assist in the final goal of the game and earned Man of the Match honors.

Midfielder Digeo Gonzalez has been key through three matches and scored the equalizer 30 minutes after St. Louis CITY SC 2 took the lead in the fourth minute of the match. Gonzalez led the team with six crosses and was tied for most shots with four and created one big chance.

LAFC 2 enters Sunday's match in search of its first regular season win and its first club win. Sunday's match is the second of three consecutive road games for the first year MLS NEXT Pro club which began play this year. Last week, LAFC 2 fell at home against Sporting Kansas City II 2-1 after the visitors took the early 2-0 lead. Despite an 0-2-1 record, LAFC 2's defense has only allowed four goals through three games for a -1 goal differential.

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

1. DASH RETURN TO LEAGUE PLAY: The Dash begin their first multi-game stretch of the year as they return to league play on Friday at Providence Park against the Portland Thorns. The team returns to Shell Energy Stadium on Wednesday, April 19 to host the Kansas City Current in the NWSL Challenge Cup. Three days later the Dash travels to the nation's capital to face the Washington Spirit. The team will close the month at home on April 28 against the North Carolina Courage.

2. DYNAMO DEPTH TESTED AGAIN: Dynamo will travel to Red Bull Arena without captain Héctor Herrera after he received a second yellow card at the end of the match against the LA Galaxy last Saturday. This will be the first match the Mexican international will miss this season and the second time the lineup will feature a new midfield trio from the opening whistle. Outside of the New York City match on March 25, the midfield has featured Herrera, Artur and Adalberto Carrasquilla.

3. DYNAMO 2 EARN KEY ROAD VICTORY: Dynamo 2 return to SaberCats Stadium on Sunday and look for their first victory at home this season. Dynamo 2 nearly secured three points in the year's opening match, a 2-1 loss to Colorado Rapids 2 but conceded in the final stretch. Head coach Kenny Bundy emphasized the need to prevent opponents from finding the back of the net in his postgame comments and Dynamo 2 responded with a three-goal performance on the road and a 3-1 victory over St. Louis CITY SC 2. Defensively, the team looks for their first clean sheet of the season and find the formula that led to 10 shutouts in 2022.

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