SeatGeek Stadium | Bridgeview, Illinois – Saturday, April 1 at 2:00 PM ET
Players to watch:
Chicago’s two goals against San Diego in their opener were scored by attackers Yuki Nagasato and Mallory Swanson. Dating back to last season and including the playoffs, each of the Red Stars’ last eight goals have been either scored or assisted by either Nagasato or Swanson, making them one of the most productive attacking duos in the league. Last year, Swanson’s 11 goals were good enough for T-4 in the league’s scoring charts, and Nagasato’s four goals had her tied for second among the Red Stars’ scoring leaders.
Houston midfielder Sophie Schmidt attempted six tackles against Louisville, the most of any NWSL player in the season’s opening weekend. Since Schmidt joined the Dash in the 2019 season, she has attempted 168 tackles, the third-most of any NWSL player in that time behind only Denise O’Sullivan (223) and McCall Zerboni (193). Though Houston failed to score in their opening game, forwards Ebony Salmon and Diana Ordóñez both registered two shots on target, with Salmon leading the way in total shots with four.
Match facts: The Chicago Red Stars welcome the Houston Dash to town for their 2023 home opener at SeatGeek Stadium, with both sides looking to pick up their first win of the season. Chicago is coming in off a 3-2 loss to San Diego that went down to the late stages, and Houston enters off the back of a scoreless draw with Racing Louisville.
Chicago got the scoring started in that loss to San Diego, with forward Yuki Nagasato scoring her first goal of the season following a failed clearance that resulted in a pinball situation in the center of the box. Waiting to swing, Nagasato pounced on the opportunity and ripped a shot into the roof of the goal. Then, after conceding two goals to San Diego, Chicago bounced back in added time as they won a penalty that Swanson converted. However, in the 88th minute, Chicago conceded a penalty of their own and San Diego’s Alex Morgan converted to seal the result.
Houston, on the other hand, fired plenty of shots at the Louisville goal last weekend, and though they did not find the back of the net they also did well to maintain a clean sheet as their season started scoreless. The Dash picked up momentum as the game settled and ended up getting the better of their chances midway through the opening half. However, outside of Ordóñez’s flying header attempt in the 68th minute, they failed to produce quality chances in the second half and were able to secure a point.
Last year, Houston swept the season series, securing a 4-1 home win and 1-0 victory on the road. Entering the 2022 season, the Dash had just three wins in total over their 20 regular season meetings with the Red Stars.
