Orlando Pride vs. Houston Dash: Preview, How to Watch, TV Info, Live Stream, Lineups, Match Thread, and More

Welcome to your match thread as the Orlando Pride (6-3-1, 19 points) return home to face the Houston Dash (3-5-2, 11 points) at 7 p.m. (FanDuel Sports Network Sun, NWSL+) at Inter&Co Stadium. This is the first of two games the two teams will play this season with the other scheduled for Oct. 3 in Houston.

Here’s everything you need to know about tonight’s game.

History

The Pride and Dash have played 22 times since the Pride joined the NWSL in 2016. Orlando has a record of 9-9-2 against the Dash in regular-season play and a 6-4-1 regular-season record at home. Additionally, the teams played two Fall Series games in 2020, both of which were won by the Dash.

The most recent meeting between the two teams took place Sept. 28, 2024 in Orlando. Carson Pickett gave the hosts the lead in the 29th minute and Angelina doubled the advantage in the 51st minute. Yuki Nagasato got one back two minutes later, but Marta secured the 3-1 win in second-half stoppage time. On Aug. 23 in Houston, Angelina sent Summer Yates through in the 67th minute, giving the Pride the lead. Andressa nearly equalized in the 86th minute, hitting the post, but the Pride held on for the 1-0 win.

The first matchup between the teams last year was on June 3, 2023 in Houston. The Pride had trouble playing the ball out of the back and were hit on the counterattack, leading to a difficult night. Sophie Hirst gave the hosts the lead early and Michelle Alozie doubled the advantage just before halftime. Despite having more possession and shots, the Pride fell 2-0. The second game took place Oct. 15 in Orlando. While the Pride were the better team, the game was scoreless heading into the late stages. However, a late penalty conversion by Marta gave the Pride the 1-0 win. 

The teams first met for the first of two matches in 2022 on June 3 in Houston. The hosts were led by a Nichelle Prince hat trick, while Rachel Daly and Alozie added goals in a 5-0 Dash win. It was the last game the Pride played before then-head coach Amanda Cromwell was placed on administrative leave. The teams met again on July 8, 2022 in Orlando. Ally Prisock’s own goal was the only scoring as the Pride took the 1-0 win, the second result in a seven-game unbeaten run.

The Pride and Dash played twice during the 2021 season. The first game was held June 26 in Houston. Maria Sanchez and Veronica Latsko gave the hosts a 2-0 lead. Gunny Jonsdottir got one back, but it wasn’t enough as the Dash won 2-1. The second meeting came on Sept. 5 at Exploria Stadium. The Dash took an early lead through Daly. However, Taylor Kornieck equalized late in a 1-1 draw.

The 2020 NWSL season was canceled due to COVID but these two teams were matched up in the Fall Series. On Sept. 26, 2020 in Houston, Prince put the Dash ahead, but Marisa Viggiano responded just before halftime. Sophie Schmidt gave the hosts another lead and Shea Groom put the game away as Houston won 3-1. The two teams played again on Oct. 9 at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee — the only time the Pride have played at the venue. Groom opened the scoring early and Latsko soon made it 2-0. Sydney Leroux got one back for the hosts, but Houston held on for a 2-1 win.

The Pride and Dash played three times in 2019, with the Pride going 0-2-1. During the first game in Houston on May 5, the Pride only recorded one shot on target. However, Houston only got one goal through Kealia Ohai in a 1-0 win. The second game on June 15 was also in Houston. Joanna Boyles scored her first professional goal to give the Pride the lead, but the Dash scored twice to take the advantage. A Danica Evans conversion allowed the Pride to escape the Oven with a 2-2 draw.

The third and final meeting in 2019 occurred on Aug. 10 in Orlando. The Pride ended the game with nine players as Julie King was sent off in the 61st minute and Marta was sent off in the 85th minute. However, the Dash were only able to convert once — a late penalty by Daly — and won 1-0.

The teams played three times during the 2018 season. The first game was on April 22 in Orlando. Chioma Ubogagu scored the lone goal, leading the Pride to a 1-0 win. They met again in Orlando on June 27. Alex Morgan opened the scoring and the Pride held that lead at the break. But the second half was all Houston, as Ohai and Sofia Huerta scored, resulting in a 2-1 Houston win. The final meeting that season was on July 11 in Houston, where Daly’s brace led the Dash to a 3-1 win. 

The Pride and Dash played twice during the 2017 season and the visiting team won both games. The first was on June 17 in Houston. Camila and Alanna Kennedy added to a Marta brace as the Pride took a commanding 4-0 lead. The Dash tried to come back with goals by Poliana and Prince, but the Pride took home a 4-2 win. A week later in Orlando, Carli Lloyd and Daly scored in a 2-0 Houston win. 

The teams met four times during the 2016 season — the Pride’s first in existence. The first meeting was the Pride’s first-ever regular-season home game on April 23. An Andressa own goal gave the Pride the lead just after the half before Lianne Sanderson and Morgan made it 3-0 for the hosts. Andressa scored one for her own team, but that was it for Houston as the Pride won 3-1 in front of a then-NWSL record 23,403 fans.

The second meeting was in Houston on May 20. Kristen Edmonds scored the only goal in the 81st minute as the Pride won 1-0. The third meeting that year came on June 23 in Orlando. Jasmyne Spencer broke the scoreless deadlock in second-half injury time as the Pride won 1-0. The fourth and final meeting came on Sept. 3 in Houston. The Dash took a 3-0 lead with goals by Janine Beckie, Poliana, and Ohai. Morgan and Edmonds got the Pride back into the game, but Ohai put it away with her second in a 4-2 Dash win.

Overview

The Pride got the season off to a great start, winning their first four games before falling to the Washington Spirit in a rematch of the 2024 NWSL Championship. With the exception of a comeback 3-2 win over Angel City, the Pride went on a skid, losing three of their next five games (1-3-1).

The Pride went into their May 23 game in Utah needing a win, and Barbra Banda gave it to them.  The striker scored a hat trick in 38 minutes, the first hat trick in Pride history. More importantly, it ended thet team’s skid heading into the international break.

The defense has been the strength for the Pride this season. The 3-2 win over Angel City is the only game in which the Pride have conceded multiple goals. All three of the losses in the five-game skid were 1-0 defeats. That changed in Utah when the Pride netted multiple goals for the first time in nearly a month.

The coaching staff will be hoping the attack can continue scoring tonight. Banda now has a commanding team lead with seven goals. Marta is second with three goals and hasn’t scored since April 25.

Tonight, the internationals return home and the Pride return to action against a Dash side that sits in 12th. The blame can’t be pinned on Houston’s attack or defense. They’re 11th in goals scored with 10 and tied for eighth in goals conceded with 16.

The Dash have some attacking threats on their team like Alozie, Yazmeen Ryan, and former Pride striker Messiah Bright. But the team’s leading goal scorer is rookie Maggie Graham, who has three goals in 10 games. Avery Patterson, only in her second year, sits second in goals with two.

The Dash haven’t been terrible defensively this season. They’ve only conceded more than two goals on two occasions — a 3-1 loss to Angel City on April 12 and a 4-1 loss to the Portland Thorns on May 16. Their most recent game was a 2-2 draw with Bay FC, so they’ve conceded six goals in their last two games.

The Dash are in an interesting position at goalkeeper. Jane Campbell has been Houston’s unquestioned number one since her rookie 2017 season and has been a regular with the U.S. Women’s National Team. But, despite Campbell starting the season as club captain, new head coach Fabrice Gautrat (Pride midfielder Morgan Gautrat’s husband) dropped the veteran for Smith.

“It’s fantastic to be back at home and play in front of our fans,” Pride Assistant Coach Giles Barnes said about tonight’s game. “Houston, they’re a team that’s gone under a lot of changes over the last year and they’ve got a new coach in Fabrice. So he’s implemented his ideas. They’re definitely a different team than what they were last year. Team with a little more structure and a more possession-based team. But, as you know, there’s no easy game. So we have to prepare correctly for them.”

There’s no change to the Pride’s availability report. They remain without Simone Charley (ankle), Luana (illness), Amanda Allen (shoulder), and Rafaelle (thigh).

The Dash only have two players on their availability report. Ramona Bachmann (parental leave) is out and Patterson (thigh) is listed as questionable.

Official Lineup

Orlando Pride (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Anna Moorhouse.

Defenders: Kerry Abello, Kylie Nadaner, Emily Sams, Oihane.

Defensive Midfielders: Haley McCutcheon, Morgan Gautrat.

Midfielders: Julie Doyle, Ally Lemos, Carson Pickett.

Forward: Ally Watt.

Bench: McKinley Crone, Prisca Chilufya, Marta, Cori Dyke, Viviana Villacorta, Angelina, Barbra Banda, Summer Yates, Zara Chavoshi.

Houston Dash (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Abby Smith.

Defenders: Paige Nielsen, Katie Lind, Natalie Jacobs, Delanie Sheehan.

Midfielders: Ryan Gareis, Daniele Colaprico, Evelina Duljan, Yazmeen Ryan.

Forwards: Barbara Olivieri, Maggie Graham.

Bench: Jane Campbell, Messiah Bright, Kiki Van Zanten, Sophie Schmidt, Sarah Puntigam, Belle Briede, Christen Westphal, Michelle Alozie, Rebeca.

Referees

REF: Benjamin Meyer.
AR1: Ben Rigel.
AR2: Fernando Fierro.
4TH: Alejo Calume.
VAR: Kevin Broadley.
AVAR: Kevin Huet.

How to Watch

Match Time: 7 p.m.

Venue: Inter&Co Stadium — Orlando.

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun.

Streaming: NWSL+.

Social Media: For live updates and rapid reaction, follow @themaneland.bsky.social on Bluesky and the Orlando Pride’s official Twitter feed (@ORLPride).

Enjoy the game. Go Pride!