Houston Dash head to Rio Tinto Stadium to take on Utah Royals

Saturday, the Houston Dash are on the road to play the Utah Royals. Both teams are looking for their second win of the season.

The Dash currently sit in seventh position in the NWSL Standings while the Royals are one spot ahead of them in sixth. The Royals have on more draw this season than the Dash putting them just one point ahead of them in the standings. A win would give the Dash a chance to climb up in the standings. Houston has played better on the road this season than they have at home with four of their points coming from road games, including their only win of the season. However, the Royals have a similar record when playing at home but have walked away with five points from home games.

The Dash are coming off a 2-2 draw against the Chicago Red Stars. Rachel Daly and Kristie Mewis both scored to help the Dash earn a point on the road. The goal put Daly at two goals so far this season making her the top goal scorer on the team so far. The Dash started the season with Daly and Mewis on the backline but since moving them off of the backline and back to offensive positions the Dash offense has come alive. The team has scored six goals in the three games since the move after having scored only goal in the five prior games. Also helping the attack has been the return of team captain Kealia Ohai.

Utah last played on May 9th against the Orlando Pride. It was a scoreless draw that saw 13 shots from Utah. They have scored six goals in seven games. Each of the six goals have been scored by a different player. While the team is new to the league most of the players came over from FC Kansas City. In spite of the 14 player from FCKC the team is still working on finding its rhythm its first season in Utah.

The two teams faced each other the second week of the season in Houston. The game ended with a 0-0 draw as neither team could find the back of the net. Houston had seven shots in that game while Utah had 10 shots.

While neither found the edge last time they played Utah will be looking at a different Houston team than they faced in week two. With Kealia Ohai’s return from injury and Rachel Daly back on offense the Royals may have a tougher time containing the Dash’s offense. The Dash also traded for defender Allysha Chapman earlier this month to help strengthen their weak backline.

It will be an interesting match up to see if either of the teams has improved enough since week two to walk away with three points.

Details

Who: Houston Dash vs Utah Royals

When: Saturday, May 19 at 2:30 pm CT

Where: Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, UT