Houston Dynamo and Dash prepare for doubleheader on Saturday

The Houston Dynamo and Dash return to action this weekend and for the 37th time in franchise history, both teams will play on the same day.

The Dynamo make their inaugural visit to Nissan Stadium on Saturday as they face Nashville SC at 2:30 p.m. CDT on Univision. Houston will look to snap a four-game winless streak after dropping the first match of a two-game road trip on Wednesday in Chicago. This was the second time this season that the Dynamo fell 4-0 on the road and Houston will look to remain in the hunt for a spot in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. Despite the lopsided loss on Wednesday the Dynamo only sit two points shy of the final playoff spot.

The Dynamo will be without Kiki Struna due to yellow card accumulation and face further squad rotation as they finish a three-game stretch over the last seven days. Only two players will miss the game due to injury as forward Michael Salazar recovers from a right knee injury and Wilfried Zahibo heals from a right thigh injury.

The Dynamo will face a Nashville team that is also in the hunt for a playoff spot, despite a 2-0 loss to the Columbus Crew on Saturday. Nashville faces trouble in the final third with only 10 goals this season, the second fewest in the league. At home, Nashville has scored eight of their 10 goals and have a 3-1-1 record at Nissan Stadium. MLS veteran Dax McCarty leads Nashville into their first season in MLS and defensively the Houston offense will have to navigate U.S. Men’s National Team star Walker Zimmerman and a familiar face in goal with Joe Willis.

The Dash will be back at BBVA Stadium for the first time in 369 days and are set to take on Marta, a six-time FIFA Player of the Year, and the Orlando Pride for their second matchup of the 2020 Verizon Community Shield, a partnership between the National Women’s Soccer League and Verizon during the league’s Fall Series. The team with the most points at the end of the Fall Series will be awarded the Verizon Community Shield and $25,000 will be awarded to the community partner of the team with the most points, with the second-place team donating $15,000 and the third-place team $10,000.

Earlier today, the Dash announced that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People(NAACP) Houston as their 2020 Verizon NWSL Community Shield beneficiary, the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the country that strives to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights without discrimination based on race.  

The Dash is set to play for NAACP as they take on Orlando at home in front of a limited amount of fans at BBVA Stadium. This will be the second event at BBVA Stadium since Feb. 29 that is open to fans after local health and government officials approved new protocols for events at the venue.

 Here are three key points ahead of Saturday’s doubleheader:

1. DUO LEAVE IMPACT AT CENTURY MARK: Darwin Ceren reached 100 league starts on Wednesday and is now the fourth veteran on the team to reach that mark. The Salvadorian midfielder joined the Dynamo in 2018 and has earned 33 starts for Houston. In his third season with the Dynamo the midfielder has cemented his role as a starter after coming off the bench for most of the 2019 season. Ceren will be joined by Mauro Manotas in the century club after the Colombian forward earns his next start. Manotas at just 25 years old would be the youngest player on the active roster to reach the 100 start mark with the club. In his five years with the Dynamo the Colombian forward is only six goals shy matching the all-time record for goals scored in all competitions for the Dynamo.
2. HOME AT LAST – The Dash return to BBVA Stadium for the first time in more than a year to take on Orlando Pride for their second game in the NWSL Fall Series. This Saturday, the Dash are set to play at home for the first time since capturing the team’s first league title in club history on July 26 when they defeated Chicago Red Stars 2-0 in the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup final. 

3. DYNAMO AND DASH PLAY FINAL DOUBLEHEADER OF 2020: Saturday’s doubleheader will be the 37th doubleheader in club history as the Dynamo and Dash look for six points on the same date for the first time since July 20, 2019. The Dynamo and Dash have triumphed on the same date on five occasions and combine for a 22-36-14 record when playing on the same day. The two teams will look to claim their sixth doubleheader triumph and for the first time since July 22, 2017, the Dynamo will look to earn a victory on the road as the Dash host Orlando at BBVA Stadium.