Houston Dash Vs Portland Thorns: 3 things we learned

Houston Dash, Rachel Daly (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

This week, the Houston Dash defeated the Portland Thorns 1-0 to advance to the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup Final. Here are three things we learned.

The Houston Dash punched their ticket to the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup final by defeating the Portland Thorns in Rio Tinto Stadium this week. Rachel Daly’s third goal of the tournament was the difference as the Dash advance to their first final in club history.

Kristie Mewis sent in a corner kick. Sophie Schmidt’s header hit the crossbar but Daly jumped on the loose ball and headed it in to take a 1-0 lead that Houston would not give up. The Dash will take on last year’s NWSL runners-up, the Chicago Red Stars, at the weekend.

Here are three things we learned from the semi-final.

SANDY, UTAH – JULY 22: Tyler Lussi #34 of Portland Thorns FC heads the ball against the Houston Dash during the second half in the semifinal match of the NWSL Challenge Cup at Rio Tinto Stadium on July 22, 2020 in Sandy, Utah. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

3. Dash must deal with fatigue

As the tournament has gone on, players have looked increasingly tired and out of form. This is understandable given the compressed schedule and lack of a normal preseason training. This semi-final was a perfect example.

Neither team could pass the ball with much efficiency. There were no players on the Dash that completed more than 70% of their passes. For the Thorns, the entire backline finished with above 70%, but they were the only players on the squad to do so.

As the competition goes on, the players still in Utah are playing in unusual circumstances and it has begun to take a toll on their fitness and quality of play. That is part of the reason there was only one goal in the quarter-finals. As the final looms, then, battling fatigue will be as crucial as beating the opponent.