That's game! Thank you for tuning in. I'm Bianca Verar signing off for VAVEL USA. Catch you next time!
FULL TIME: Houston Dash 2-0 Chicago Red Stars
90+1' Dash tries to hold it at the corner, but the Red Stars earn a goal kick out of it
90' Green fouls Amber Brooks just in front of the Dash's box
89' Privett comes on Ohai
84' Ohai called offside
83' Huerta fouls Roccaro
81' Houston Dash 2-0 Chicago Red Stars
80' DASH GOAL! Rachel Daly takes er shot after turning Shot and she finds the upper 90!
79' Chicago Substitution: Summer Green checks in for Jen Hoy. This is Green's debut in the NWSL.
78' Chicago counters, but Short's shot is off
78' Daly sends in a long cross for Hagen, but Naeher reaches up for it and collects
76' Brooks fouls DiBernardo by the center circle
74' Huerta makes her presence known, trying to finish but Williams gets down and collects
73' Nice build up for the Dash. Daly plays it outs wide for Poliana. She gets end line and serves it in. Hagen gets a head on it, but it bounces in front of Naeher before being cleared out
71' Press called offside
71' Daly draws a defender and plays a ball through, but no one's on the same page as her
68' Houston Substitutions: Falknor checks in for Beckie, Hagen for Andressa
67' Johnson and Daly knock into each other and they're both down
65' Houston's bringing the heat with back-to-back chances. Brooks tires from the top of the box but it goes out for a goal kick
64' Andressa takes a shot out from distance but Naeher is ready and it lands right in her hands
63' Daly gets end line and gets a cross off, but no one's in the box
62' Ohai finds the ball at her feet near the top of the box and shoots, but Naeher gets to it
58' Chicago Substitution: Sofia Huerta checks in for Stephanie McCaffrey
58' Press' shot in the box is taken away by a last minute tackle from Van Wyk
57' Andressa takes a shot, but it's right to Naeher
57' Short takes a shot, but it goes over for a goal kick
56' Benites fouls hard a few yards away from the box. She earns a yellow.
51' Daly goes in for a hard tackle on Johnson. Free kick for Chicago.
50' Offside for Hoy
48' Daly heads the cross, but Chicago is able to clear it away
47' Ball bounces off heads until Ohai collects on the far side. Her service is hit out by Naeher for another corner
47' Ohai with some cheeky moves to beat her defender. She plays a ball in but Daly's shot goes out for a corner
46' Chicago Substitution: Comeau comes in for Gilliland
HALF TIME: Houston Dash 1-0 Chicago Red Stars
45+1' Hoy tries to finish right in front of goal, but her shot goes over and she's called offside
45+1' Daly called offside
45' DiBernardo plays a ball for McCaffrey, but McCaffrey can't keep it in bounds
43' Going against the traffic, Naeher jumps up and collects the corner before anyone
42' Ohai goes towards goal, beating two defenders and winning a corner
40' Service makes it all the way to the other side of the field, but Ohai is beat and it goes out for a throw in
39' Ohai gets end line on the far right, but her cross is deflected for a corner.
38' Build up from Chicago, but McCaffrey's shot finds William's gloves
37' DiBernardo plays a long ball over the top for Short. She gets to it but her cross is caught by Williams
35' Press charges down the field with thee ball. Roccaro and Van Wyk try to stop her, but she beats both of them. She keeps the ball in with a one-touch service but no one is there to collect and finish
33' Christen Press maintains possession outside of the box despite defenders attempting to stop her. Her shot is deflected and Williams collects
32' Short plays a ball in but it's too high for anyone and goes out for a goal kick.
31' Mautz fouls...again. This time on Beckie.
28' Mautz fouls Roccarro by the halfway line. Mautz earns a yellow card after a chat with the ref.
27' Hoy plays ball through for McCaffrey, but she's called offside
26' Low corner for Chicago, after a little bit of a jumble Williams collects it in her hands.
25' Van Wyk clears the low corner into the stands. Another corner for Chicago.
25' Corner for Chicago.
23' Hoy fouls Benites. Free kick Houston.
21' Press cuts through in the box, but the dash defense comes in for a tackle to deny her a scoring chance
18' Houston Dash 1-0 Chicago Red Stars
15' DASH GOAL! Clearance leads to Ohai streaking down the field on her own. She slots it far post to give the Dash their first goal of the season!
14' McCaffrey takes a shot, but it bounces off the post
13' Mautz fouls Brooks at the halfway line. Brooks takes a moment to get up, but she's all good.
12' Brooks plays a ball over the top for Daly, who takes it down to the end line. Ertz comes and collects. Foul called on Daly.
11' Press serves a nice ball int he box, but Williams is there to jump up and get it.
10' Press plays a ball in for Hoy to head. She gets to it, but it goes wide. Hoy is also called offside.
9' Dash clears the ball to halfway
8' Red Stars earn a corner. DiBernardo and Colaprico both stand by the ball
7' Nice little build up for Chicago, but Houston clears all the way to Naeher
5' Press heads up Beckie's service. Andressa collects and serves it into the box, but Naeher catches it easily.
4' Beckie earns a corner for the Dash.
4' Ohai beats her defender and gets end line, but her low cross finds a diving Naeher.
3' Ertz takes the free kick but Van Wyk shields McCaffrey off for a goal kick.
2' Foul called against O'Sullivan a little past the halfway line. She fouls Mautz on the ball.
1' And NWSL season 5 has started here at BBVA Stadium!
Anthem has just finished and the teams are taking the pitch! Get ready for some soccer - NWSL is back!
Lineups have been announced for both teams
The players have wrapped up warm ups and are returning to the locker room. Lineups and anthem coming up shortly.
Chicago Red Stars Substitutions: Naughton, Comeau, Huerta, Proffitt, Dalton, Green.
Houston Dash Substitutions: Campbell, Falknor, Henderson, Ochs, Privett, Heap, Hagen.
Chicago Red Stars XI: Naeher, Johnson, Ertz,Gilliland, Short; Mautz, Colaprico, DiBernardo, Hoy; McCaffrey, Press.
Houston Dash XI: Williams, Benites, Van Wyk, Poliana, Roccaro; Brooks, Andressa, O'Sullivan; Beckie, Ohai, Daly.
Unfortunately for the Dash, midfielder Morgan Brian will not be available for the home opener. The USWNT player is still recovering from an MCL sprain she suffered earlier in preseason.
Keys to the Game for Chicago: If the Red Stars can expose Houston’s backline, they could be in on goal. The Dash’s biggest issue over the years - amongst others - is not being able to find a consistent back four. There are also plenty of new faces when it comes to defenders for the Dash, so they’re still a work in progress. With the likes of Sofia Huerta and Christen Press, Houston’s back four plus their keeper - whether it be Lydia Williams or Jane Campbell - could be very busy for 90 minutes.
Keys to the Game for Houston: The Dash need to be patient and maintain possession. As long as they can build attacks and find their wide players, they should be able to make good threatening attacks on goal. This is where Captain Kealia Ohai comes into play - when found out wide with space, it’s hard to control Ohai from a defender’s perspective. The veteran is incredibly fast and dangerous when found in the rights spots; it’ll be important for the Dash to be looking to play her in and through defenders.
Houston Dash vs Chicago Red Stars Live Stream
On Chicago’s side, there are very little changes to the roster. 17 players from the 2016 roster return for this season, and head coach Rory Dames has added two draft picks in Lauren Kaskie and Morgan Proffitt as well as Summer Green, who was acquired through a trade with the Seattle Reign. Chicago will be looking to finally break through and make it all the way to the championship after coming short two years in a row.
This time around, things are a little different for the Houston Dash. There are many new faces on this roster, but the same threatening attack remains. Daly and Beckie return, while they add Nichelle Prince from the draft and Sarah Hagen, who was picked up after being waived by the Orlando Pride. Although lots of the same team chemistry from last season is still there for the Dash, their new additions will have to find their rhythm with their teammates. On top of that, Lloyd will not be suiting for the Dash this weekend. She is currently with Manchester City Women and won’t be back until May.
This will be the second consecutive home opener the Dash host the Chicago Red Stars at BBVA Compass Stadium. These two teams opened the 2016 season in similar fashion, and that time Houston came away with a 3-1 victory over the Red Stars. Houston’s 2016 rookies Rachel Daly and Janine Beckie both scored in their NWSL debut, and USWNT midfielder Carli Lloyd added her name to the score sheet too. For the Red Stars, it was USWNT forward Christen Press who opened up scoring for the game.
This will be the first game to kickoff the historic fifth NWSL season. No other league has made it past three years, so this is a big step for women’s soccer in America. There are three other matches today, with one more on Sunday to wrap up opening weekend.
Houston Dash vs Chicago Red Stars Live Score and Result
Welcome to VAVEL USA’s LIVE coverage of the 2017 National Women’s Soccer League season opener between the Houston Dash and the Chicago Red Stars. My name is Bianca Verar and I’ll be your host for this game. We will provide you with pre-game analysis, roster updates, and news as it happens here on VAVEL. This game will be broadcasted with the go90 app.