KC Current make their NWSL playoff debut Sunday: how they match up with Houston Dash
The Kansas City Current play the first postseason match in club history Sunday afternoon against the Houston Dash.
Kickoff in Houston is set for 4 p.m. Sunday on Paramount+. The Dash announced that more than 17,000 tickets have been sold, and that hitting 20,000 is possible.
If the Current had found a way to keep Louisville scoreless for another 30 seconds in their regular-season finale, we might be talking about 20,000 in attendance at Children’s Mercy Park.
But perhaps this road trip to Texas will be a good thing for Kansas City.
The Current were 5-5-1 in regular-season road games this year while the Houston Dash went 3-4-4 at home. Those records include a 2-1 KC victory at Houston on July 1; they don’t include the Current’s 3-0 drubbing of the Dash during the NWSL Challenge Cup.
Previous meetings this season
The Current and Dash have played each other four times this season. Here’s how those meetings went:
Current 3, at Dash 0 - March 30: The Current scored early and often against the Dash in the NWSL Challenge Cup. Taylor Leach opened the scoring 90 seconds in and Kristen Hamilton made it 2-0 in the 38th minute. Lo’Eau LaBonta scored in the 60th. This was Elyse Bennett’s breakout game — two assists in her first start as a professional.
At Current 2, Dash 1 - April 15: Hamilton scored again, this time less than five minutes in. Former Liberty High star and FCKC player Shea Groom equalized for Houston in the second half, but Victoria Pickett netted the winner in the 80th minute, giving the Current control of first place in their NWSL Challenge Cup group.
Dash 2, at Current 0 - May 9: This Mother’s Day matchup with the Dash was the Current’s third game in seven days. Houston won a dubious penalty kick early and Rachel Daly converted it. The Current laid siege to the Dash’s net, but just five of the hosts’ 16 shots were on-target, and none got past Houston keeper Jane Campbell. Brianna Visali added the final goal in the match’s dying minutes with the Current pushing numbers forward in search of an equalizer that never came.
Current 2, at Dash 1 - July 1: New leadership for Houston in this one: The Dash suspended head coach/GM James Clarkson in April when allegations of sexual misconduct rocked the league. His part in that remains unclear publicly, but Clarkson’s status was to be decided once Sally Yates’ investigation into widespread “discrimination, harassment and abuse” concluded (and that conclusion happened just this month).
So interim coach Juan Carlos Amorós helmed the Dash for this July 1 match, and still does today. As for the scoring, LaBonta converted a penalty kick off a Groom handball in the box and Hailie Mace scored in the second half. Houston’s goal came in the final minute of 10 minutes of stoppage time on a Current own-goal. Goalkeeper AD Franch otherwise kept a clean sheet for KC.
How the Dash line up
The Dash have used a 4-3-3 formation since Juan Carlos Amorós took over. In their previous matchups, the Dash were 4-2-3-1 and 3-4-1-2. Their current lineup features Ebony Salmon as the lead striker with Nichelle Prince and Maria Sánchez on the wings. Since Amorós took over, the Dash are 6-2-3.
This story was originally published October 14, 2022 at 1:38 PM with the headline "KC Current make their NWSL playoff debut Sunday: how they match up with Houston Dash."