Dash glad to be at home for rematch vs. Orlando
When the Dash opened its road schedule in Orlando, Fla., on April 23 the game was celebrated for reasons that did not have much to do with Houston.
This week, the Dash hope to be the only ones celebrating.
Houston plays host to Alex Morgan and the Orlando Pride on Friday night at BBVA Compass Stadium. It will be a welcome change of scenery from the game at the Citrus Bowl that drew an NWSL record crowd of 23,403 for Orlando’s inaugural game.
The Pride rallied around that support and beat the Dash, 3-1, with all three goals coming in the second half.
“It will help that we have our home crowd behind us (on Friday),” Dash defender Allysha Chapman said. “They won’t have 24,000 people cheering for them anymore and screaming at us.”
Dash coach Randy Waldrum said the biggest thing going against his team that night was that it did not have the right mindset. He said Orlando was hungrier and more aggressive, winning more 50-50 balls.
Houston’s most important focus this week, he said, will be to approach the game with a much better mentality. The Dash are still without midfielder Carli Lloyd, who injured her knee in the first meeting, but since then they have had a few games to work in new players.
The Dash (2-1-2) are in a three-way tie for fifth place with seven points, two points behind a third-place tie that includes Orlando (3-2).
“Whether it’s revenge or whatever you want to call it, it’s more psychological for us now,” Waldrum said. “We have to protect the home and know they have jumped ahead of us in the standings. We need to make sure we put them back below us again.”
Houston also wants to bounce back from last week’s defeat. Waldrum said he was not happy with the performance on the road against undefeated Washington. Not surprisingly, he said it was one of two games — both losses — in which the Dash have been flat.
It might still be too early to tell for sure, but youth could be playing a role in inconsistent play on the road. The Dash were good two weeks ago in a win over FC Kansas City but struggled last week with giveaways and lack of dangerous opportunities.
Friday they will look to replicate the opening night performance in which they scored three goals against a Chicago Red Stars team that has not conceded in four games since then.
“We’ll be a lot more settled this game and be able to move it around the back like we like to and switch the field,” Chapman said. “Plus, it’s on grass. I didn’t really like the Orlando stadium because it was turf and it was a big football stadium. I am happy to be back home for this one.”