Good time for a homestand
Three-game unbeaten streak has team eying playoff position
Before the season, the Dash said they wanted to establish BBVA Compass Stadium as one of the league’s toughest places for visiting teams to get points.
They began with a victory in the opener but are winless in their last four home games. This month, the Dash have a chance to get back on track to establishing an acceptable home-field reputation.
Unbeaten in their last three matches, the Dash (47-1) face Portland Thorns FC at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the first of three consecutive home games.
“We’re going in with confidence now,” forward Rachel Daly said. “It’s three good home games on the bounce. We realize what we need to do and how we can do it now. We have to use our home field to our advantage.”
No easy task
Saturday’s opponent is loaded with international stars. Canadian forward Christine Sinclair leads the way. The world’ s No .2 alltime scorer has three goals in her last four league matches.
Portland also boasts U.S. national team regulars Meghan Klingenberg, Lindsey Horan, Allie Long and Emily Sonnett. The Dash do get a bit of a break, however, with three Portland players — Nadia Nadim, Armandine Henry and Dagny Brynjarsdottir — away from the team for the European Championships.
The Thorns have enough firepower to light up the nets like Orlando did in Dash interim coach Omar Morales’ first home game. The Pride scored four goals in the first 70 minutes to spoil Morales’ debut.
This week, he said that was a frustrating game because it did not feel like a 4-0 game despite the scoreboard.
‘Big fuel for us’
The Dash have improved their competitiveness all over the field since then, sparking their threegame unbeaten streak.
Two wins and a draw in their last three games have vaulted the Dash from last place to a tie for seventh. There is still plenty of work to do, but if they win their next three games, they could realistically find themselves within a point or two of the last playoff position, if not occupying it themselves.
Even if that is getting too far ahead of the game, it is significant that the Dash can even think about that. Last month, they were limping to the end of a sixgame losing streak and working through a coaching change.
Suddenly, they have momentum and three straight home games to add to it.
“Who would have thought the Houston Dash would have gotten seven points out of nine this time two weeks ago?” Daly said. “It has been big fuel for us. We were at the bottom of the league for some time. There are so many doubters, but we are six points away from fourth place right now with a game in hand. Anything can happen in this league.”