Pair of showdowns offer chance to build confidence
The Dash get a break this week from their NWSL schedule.
Then again, is it really a break when the next two games are against the best teams in the world?
The Dash will get a chance to show out on a world stage this week in Portland, Ore., when they take on the field in the Women’s International Champions Cup.
The exhibition tournament is composed of the Dash’s fellow NWSL team Portland Thorns and two of the top teams in Europe — Barcelona and Olympique Lyonnaise.
The semifinals are Wednesday night at Providence Park. Barcelona will take on Lyon in the first game at 7:30 p.m. The Dash and Portland will face off at 10 p.m.
The winners of each game will play one another on Saturday, as will the losers.
“Playing against either one of the two top European teams is going to be fantastic for us,” Dash captain Rachel Daly said. “It’s going to be a completely different challenge, one that a lot of the girls will probably never experience. We’ve got to tweak something. We have to improve in certain areas. We have got to get better defensively. We know that.”
Indeed, the Dash will be exposed this week if they don’t find another gear on defense.
They likely will be sparked by the return of Olympians Kristie Mewis, Nichelle Prince, Allysha Chapman and Jane Campbell. All four are expected to be available for selection in both games this week.
Daly and Sophie Schmidt returned to the club last week and featured in Friday’s draw against the Washington Spirit.
Barcelona is the reigning UEFA Champions League titleholder after defeating Chelsea 4-0 in May. It was Barcelona’s fifth consecutive trip to at least the quarterfinals and second consecutive appearance in the final.
The Catalan club went 33-1 last season en route to its second straight Primera Division title. Barcelona’s top player is Dutch star Lieke Martens.
Lyon is the most decorated women’s club in European history. It has won seven Champions League titles since 2010. Led by French star Wendie Renard and Canadian National Team regular Kadeisha Buchanan, Lyon has one of the most formidable defenses in the world.
While those teams will be new to the Dash, Wednesday’s opponent certainly will not.
The Dash and Portland played to a 1-1 draw in the finale of the
NWSL Challenge Cup group stage this year. The Thorns beat the Dash 1-0 in Houston on July 24.
This will be the teams’ first meeting in Portland since September 21, 2019, but plenty of the current players are familiar with what to expect from one of the NWSL’s best markets. The opponent may not be as high profile as the one they’ll face Saturday, but it will still be an important experience.
“We know about Portland,” Daly said. “They’re a great side. They’ve got a great fan base. It’s going to be a brilliant atmosphere, and they’re always a very difficult team to play against, especially at their place.”
Though they didn’t win their most recent league game, the Dash will have a little bit of momentum this week. They fell behind
the Washington Spirit 2-0 before rallying for a 2-2 draw.
It was an important moment for coach James Clarkson, who had said he wanted to see a positive response following a 5-1 loss in the previous game. It didn’t look good for a while against Washington, but that response eventually came.
The addition of all six Olympians and the potential of two strong performances this week could be just what the Dash need to make a strong run over the final portion of the NWSL regular season as they seek their first playoff berth.
“There was fight, and there was spirit, and there was everything that we know that this team is all about,” Clarkson said. “I thought we could have even won the game, but that’s a massive point, because you don’t want to lose consecutive games. It’s still unfortunate — two dropped points at home — but it keeps us in it.”