Dash host Kansas City to begin Challenge Cup campaign: What to watch for
(image via USA TODAY)
The Houston Dash will begin the UKG Challenge Cup tonight at home against rivals Kansas City Current. The Dash are coming off a 1-1 draw away against the Portland Thorns on Friday night. The Current come in with losses in each of their three games this season. This will be the first year the Challenge Cup will be integrated into the regular season with matches during the middle of the week.
When: Wednesday, April 19 | 6:30 PM CT kickoff
Where: Shell Energy Stadium; Houston, Texas
TV/Stream: CBS Sports Network
Revenge
Kansas City and Houston has been a heated rivalry as of late, especially after KC knocked the Dash out of last season’s playoffs in the dying minutes of regular time. Now with an opportunity to settle the score, the Dash set their eyes to start the Cup campaign with a win against KC. “Since I’ve been here, it’s been clear that the Kansas City game is a massive rivalry, but you also have the added bonus of it being a huge competitor,” Dash head coach Sam Laity told the media this week. “Someone who the players have been talking about for several weeks, getting a bit of payback for the quarterfinal loss.” It sounds like the team is fired up to win and will look to take advantage of a Current team that has a three-game losing streak coming into this game.
Same Competition, Different Schedule
The Dash won the first edition of the NWSL Challenge Cup in 2020. Even though the competition isn’t new to the league, it’s new in a since it will now be integrated into the regular season. When it was previously held before the season began, some teams used this competition in the to grind out the kinks from the offseason to get ready for the regular season. Sam Laity said they are handling it as another competition against a good opponent and not worrying about it as a Challenge Cup game. “We’re thinking about it more as an opportunity to progress in where we’re at, an opportunity to continue building some relationships on the field,” Laity said yesterday. “It’s an opportunity for us to grow as a team, for us to be exposed and to use the exposure as an opportunity for us to grow moving forward.”
Time for rotation?
After the draw with Portland on Friday night some Dash players looked tired, with the busy schedule catching up to them. The midfield has been constant and unchanged for all three games in the season. Katie Lind and Barabra Olivieri are both off the availability report and could return to the field to help with rotation. Laity also gave the rookies some game time last week against Mexico so we could see them feature again tonight. It will be interesting to see the eleven that Laity chooses when lineups come out around 5:30 this evening.
Availability Report
Houston Dash - Out: Emily Alvarado (concussion protocol), Emily Curran (season-ending injury – knee), Ella Dederick (season-ending injury – knee), Makamae Gomera-Stevens (season-ending injury – knee), Shea Groom (knee), Devon Kerr (illness), Nichelle Prince (season-ending injury – Achilles), Annika Schmidt (knee); Questionable: Ryan Gareis (hip), Kelcie Hedge (thigh)
Kansas City Current - Out: Elizabeth Ball (hamstring), Morgan Gautrat (calf), Hanna Glas (knee), Kristen Hamilton (knee), Claire Lavogez (season-ending injury – knee), Alex Loera (foot), Sam Mewis (season-ending injury – knee); Questionable: Mimmi Larsson (hamstring), Mallory Weber (knee)
Predicted Lineup
