Shell Energy Stadium | Houston, Texas – Wednesday, April 19 at 7:30 PM ET
Players to watch:
Houston attacker María Sánchez has scored two goals in three regular season games already, with both goals coming in each of the Dash’s last two games. Teammate Diana Ordóñez is the only other player to have netted once, scoring in the club’s victory over Chicago. In addition, defender Katie Lund has started 17 different Challenge Cup matches, all for the Dash, which is the most of any player in the history of the cup. Lind is also the only player to have played at least 1500 minutes in the competition (1511).
Kansas City has seen three different players score in the regular season for them in three games, with midfielder Debinha and forwards Cece Kizer and Mimmi Larsson all finding the back of the net. Debinha, who switched over from North Carolina in the offseason, has been named Challenge Cup MVP in each of the last two competitions, leading the Courage to a championship win last season. Her nine all-time goals in the competition are two more than any other player.
Match facts: The Houston Dash host the Kansas City Current in the third game of Wednesday night’s Challenge Cup opening evening. The Dash are entering in three games unbeaten in the regular season, with draws against Racing Louisville and Portland sandwiched by a win over Chicago. The Current, however, have lost all three of their regular season matches, dropping results against North Carolina, Portland, and Chicago.
Houston won the inaugural Challenge Cup in 2020 but struggled in the 2022 edition, losing four of six matches (W2). Dating back to 2021, Houston has conceded at least once in eight straight games in the competition, the longest such streak in Challenge Cup history. However, their regular season games to date have seen them gain an impressive five points, earning a shutout against Racing Louisville, defeating Chicago on the road, and earning a point on the road against Portland.
Kansas City, meanwhile, has lost both of its regular season road games in the form of a 1-0 loss against North Carolina and a 4-2 loss against Chicago. Losing all three regular season games with a 4-1 home loss against Portland also against their record, the Current will relish an opportunity to prove their early results a fluke with a result in the Challenge Cup. In last year’s competition, Kansas City won four of its six group stage games (D1 L1) to secure a spot in the knockout rounds before falling to North Carolina in the semifinals. Eight of the Current’s 11 goals in last season’s cup were scored in the second half of matches.
The Current and Dash are meeting for the first time since Kansas City eliminated Houston from the 2022 NWSL playoffs with a 2-1 win. In all NWSL competitions, Kansas City has won five of its last six meetings with the Dash (L1), outscoring Houston by a 12-5 margin in that stretch.
