Children’s Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas – Friday, May 26 at 8:00 PM ET
Players to watch:
Kansas City forward Kristen Hamilton, who made her season debut on Saturday, has scored 10 goals against the Dash in all NWSL competitions, more than any other player against Houston in league history. Hamilton hasn’t found the net in any of her last three matches against the Dash, however. Hamilton has yet to find the back of the net this season as well, with midfielder Debinha leading the team in scoring with four goals and forward Cece Kizer just behind her with three of her own.
Houston forward Ebony Salmon scored her first goal of the regular season when the side earned a 2-1 win over Portland at home on May 13. Salmon’s scoring record since her trade from Louisville to Houston last July has her sitting amongst the best in the league now, though teammates María Sánchez and Joelle Andersonare the only other players to have scored non-penalty goals through the club’s eight games played. Forward Diana Ordóñez is the only Dash player to have scored from the spot though, converting her attempt against Chicago back on April 1.
Match facts: The Kansas City Current kick off a full slate of games across the league’s regular season this weekend as they host the Houston Dash at Children’s Mercy Park for a Friday night matchup. Kansas City currently sits 11th in the league standings, having collected 6 points from 8 games, while the Houston Dash sit one place above them in 10th place having collected 9 points from their 8 games.
The Current have lost four straight matches in all competitions following a three-match winning streak in April. Beginning with last season’s Championship match against Portland, Kansas City has lost eight of their last 11 games (W3) after losing just two of their previous 19 (W12 D5). At home, the Current have won two and lost three – including their last two, both of which were 2-0 losses to San Diego and Louisville, respectively.
Meanwhile, Houston is winless in its last three road matches (D2 L1) and has scored just one goal over the three games. The last time the Dash scored fewer goals in a three-game span on the road was in September 2019 when the team was held scoreless in three straight. However, Houston has also only lost one of their four road matches this year to date (W1 D2), giving them hopes when heading to Kansas City on Friday.
Between the two, Kansas City has won three straight matches in all competitions against the Dash, all in Houston, including a 2-0 victory in the Challenge Cup in April. The last time these teams met in Kansas City in May last year, Houston were the victors with a 2-0 result.
