Chicago Red Stars Vs Houston Dash: Week 20 Preview

After a two-week hiatus, the Chicago Red Stars are back at home, hoping to rescue their season against the Houston Dash. Here is a full Week 20 preview.

Hopefully refreshed by the international break, the NWSL and the Chicago Red Stars are back in action again. Still on a three-game losing streak, the Red Stars still find themselves in fourth position, just inside the playoff positions. While it’s a miracle that despite these recent performances they haven’t dropped any further, this is a game in which Chicago must step up against a weaker opponent in the Houston Dash.

As I said, it seems like everyone’s finally caught their breath with this week off. Most of the Chicago Red Stars’ questionable players have recovered, except for Tierna Davidson, who’s still listed with a thigh problem.

For the Houston Dash, Christine Nairn and Kyah Simon have both been listed as questionable, but judging how much rest they’ve enjoyed over the past month, I think there’s a possibility both play in this game.

Leading up to this match, the Houston Dash have won every other game for a little over the past month. With a loss to Sky Blue FC in their last outing, it’s back over to the winning side this weekend, right? This weird pattern is a symptom of Houston’s league-average quality and natural inconsistencies. They lose to the good teams and win against the bad teams. This is why they’re sitting in seventh, on the back-end of the playoff race.

The Houston Dash have the tools to win in their attack. Sofia Huerta is an excellent player and Kaelia Ohai’s speed is second to none in the NWSL, but this week, I want to give a quick moment to Rachel Daly. Daly always seems to know exactly where to be to start a counter-attack. Whether she finishes the ball is another story, but her awareness as to where to be is exceptional and the Chicago Red Stars will have to keep a close eye on her movement off the ball.

That’s especially pertinent because Chicago have struggled to contain quick players who run behind the defense. We saw it in the game against Orlando with Chioma Ubogagu surging in behind time and time again. Over the past couple of games, coach Rory Dames has actually sat defender Katie Naughton in favor of playing Julie Ertz at center-back.

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There are pros and cons to this move. On one hand, Naughton hasn’t been performing very well and the Chicago midfield is too talented to allow everyone playing time, so moving Ertz back can free up a space for someone like Danielle Colaprico. On the other, Ertz has shown how well she can play in the midfield and moving her out of her favored and most influential position seems a little odd. Nevertheless, the fact that Dames has made this personnel move is indicative of the defensive problems the Red Stars have been suffering from.

Chicago are over the edge of a playoff spot right now and they need to get home-field advantage for at least their first game. There’s an opportunity for the Red Stars to jump into second place with a victory, and the final games of the season are all winnable, in theory, so a late-season run is not inconceivable. Chicago have one of the most complete squads in the NWSL. Now, they need to show it.

Projected XI:

Chicago Red Stars (4-3-3): Alyssa Naeher; Tierna Davidson, Sarah Gorden, Julie Ertz, Casey Short; Morgan Brian, Danielle Colaprico, Vanessa DiBernardo; Yuki Nagasato, Sam Kerr, Arin Wright

Houston Dash (4-4-2): Jane Campbell; Allysha Chapman, Amber Brooks, Ally Prisock, Haley Hanson; Kyah Simon, Kristie Mewis, Christine Nairn, Kaelia Ohai; Rachel Daly, Sofia Huerta

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How To Watch:

Sunday, September 8th, 5:00 PM CDT; At SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, IL, on NBC Sportsnet Chicago, and online with the Yahoo Sports App

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