Houston Dash Vs Utah Royals – 3 things we learned
By Drew Hubbard
2. Both teams benefit from width
The six goals Houston and Utah scored were very similar in development. The teams got wide, worked in and crossed the ball into a forward making a perfect run.
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Utah’s opening goal started with a failed cross by Brittany Ratcliffe being cleared. The Royals won the ball back in Houston’s half and Amy Rodriguez then crossed in again to an oncoming Diana Matheson who slipped it in the back of the net.
Similar to Utah’s first, the Dash scored with Veronica Latsko getting the ball wide, making her way into the box and finding Houston’s star Rachel Daly who made no mistake in front of goal to draw the match level.
Utah’s free-kick came from a ball wide in midfield flicked on to Rodriguez who earned a handball. Veronica Boquete then made the most of the opportunity to draw her side within one. Both teams also scored from set-pieces in wide positions, Houston from a corner kick and Utah from a freekick on the right-wing.
In soccer, width is critical. Both Houston and Utah proved as much here.