Houston Dash Vs Utah Royals – 3 things we learned

1. Daly, Rodriguez shine

Both Utah and Houston’s leading goalscorers from last year are with the club’s in the Challenge Cup. Rachel Daly led the Dash with five goals and Amy Rodriguez with nine. Upon the start of the new season, it seems as though they have not lost any of their goalscoring form.

When you think of Houston, you think of Rachel Daly, and for good reason. She wears the armband for the Dash and made her name known on the international stage making five appearances for England in the 2019 World Cup, two of which were starts.

In this shortened competition, players have less time to work their way into the tournament to make their presence felt. Thankfully for Houston, they didn’t have to wait at all for Daly’s talent to show up to the field.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, didn’t get on the scoresheet, but she did provide an assist to get Utah’s goal-scoring started for the tournament. She will be a threat as the competition continues, just as she was last season.

For every team in the Challenge Cup, stars must make an impact. Good news for the Houston Dash and Utah Royals, then, who saw their leaders step up in a big way from the very first moment.