On Saturday, September 21, Seattle Reign travel to Texas to face the Houston Dash at Shell Energy Stadium. The match kicks off at 5:30 PM PT and will air on KONG TV locally and stream on NWSL+ and KING5+.
While the Reign are facing a struggling opponent who has lost their last six matches and are dealing with their head coach's extended absence, they've been there before themselves. The Reign know that every opponent is tough in this league, and Houston is a difficult environment for opponents. Saturday's match should be no exception, as the city has an excessive heat warning and it will be in the 90s leading up to kickoff.
"Houston has been somewhere that's always difficult to come. The weather conditions are always a challenge, but we're excited," said head coach Laura Harvey. "We've trained today, and it was pretty good, so we're looking forward to tomorrow."
The Reign will again be without Jess Fishlock, who didn't travel with the club, and may be without Jordyn Huitema again, who is still recovering from an illness but did make the trip to Houston. Expect Harvey to start a more attack-minded midfield this time around, as she knows the Reign need to put Houston under more pressure.
Recent Results
On Monday, the Reign were defeated 2-0 by Gotham FC at home. The Houston Dash traveled to D.C. and fell 3-0 to the Washington Spirit. The Dash first conceded a penalty kick on a handball, which Ashely Hatch converted. Hatch scored again on a cross from Trinity Rodman. Rodman scored the third goal just minutes into the second half with an incredible solo effort.
Head-to-Head
This is the first matchup between the two teams in 2024.
- The Reign are 17-4-4 all-time against the Dash.
- Seattle has an 8-3-2 road record against Houston.
- The Reign have scored 47 goals in this matchup, while Houston has scored 18.
Quick Stats
- Houston (3-12-5, 14 points) has scored 13 goals and conceded 32.
- Seattle (5-10-5, 20 points) has scored 23 goals and conceded a league-high 34.
- The Reign are 2-7-1 on the road this season. The Dash are 1-5-4 at home.
- The Reign have used a different lineup in all 20 regular-season matches.
- Forward Diana Ordonez leads the Dash with five goals.
What to Watch
Early pressure
The Dash attempt the second-fewest passes and take the fewest shots in the league, which the Reign have to take advantage of – getting shots off and applying pressure early in the game.
The Reign struggled to do this against Gotham on Monday, as they were immediately under pressure and couldn't seem to apply their own pressure on Gotham. That's something they must change against the Dash, who have fallen behind in the first half of their last three matches – and struggled to recover from.
"I think getting ourselves on the front foot and making sure that we can really set the tone on both sides of the ball," Harvey said when asked what the team wants to do differently this game. "Houston's a tough place to do that because of the heat. But we have a good roster here, so whoever starts the game, even if they can't finish it, we know we've got legs on the bench that can come on and take on that responsibility."
The Reign will also need to be better in possession against the Dash than they were versus Gotham. Houston leads the league in fouls committed (238, compared to 189 for the Reign) and is third in yellow cards.
Using the width
The Dash typically play in a 3-4-3 formation, which means they can leave space on the wings. Houston allows the third most crosses in the league behind Chicago and Utah, something the Reign should be able to exploit. They only win 42% of their aerial duels as well, compared to the Reign's 54%, and Houston concedes the second-most through balls and touches in their opponent's attacking third.
The Spirit found success on the wings last week, consistently getting in behind Houston's defense.
Trinity Rodman also found Ashley Hatch for a goal off a cross.
The Reign may not have Huitema as their target forward, but they should still be looking to their wide players to make an impact. This would be a great game for the Reign to utilize their overlapping fullbacks to create numbers out wide.
The Spirit did this well – as their wide forwards tucked in to pull defenders, creating space for their fullbacks to get up the field. Can the Reign find the same success and connect their crosses better this week?
At the same time, the Dash found some success against Gotham on the wings, using their speedy wingbacks Michelle Alozie and Avery Patterson to get to the endline. The Reign will need to lock down the flanks when they are defending.
Beating Jane Campbell
While the Dash have conceded 32 goals in 20 games, third highest in the league, it could be a lot worse if they didn't have Jane Campbell in goal. She leads the league in saves, with 27 more than the next goalkeeper. Houston's expected goals against is 40.6 – nearly 9 more than she's conceded. The Reign will have to be ruthless in front of goal if they want to get by Campbell.
Injury / Availability Report
Seattle Reign
OUT: Ryanne Brown (SEI – knee), Jess Fishlock (leg), Olivia Van der Jagt (excused absence)
QUESTIONABLE: Jordyn Huitema (illness)
INTERNATIONAL DUTY: Emeri Adames (USA), Jordyn Bugg (USA)
Houston Dash
OUT: Ramona Bachman (thigh), Belle Briede (concussion), Natalie Jacobs (concussion), Katie Lind (maternity leave), Havana Solaun (knee), Tarciane (shoulder), Kiki Van Zanten (SEI - foot), Amanda West (D45 - knee)
QUESTIONABLE: Madison Ayson (foot), Paige Nielsen (calf), Sophie Schmidt (lower leg)
How to Watch
Seattle Reign travels to Texas to face the Houston Dash on Saturday, September 21. The game kicks off at 5:30 PM PT and will air on KONG TV locally in addition to streaming on NWSL+ and KING5+.
