The Houston Dash are set make history tonight when they take on the two-time LigaMX Femenil champion Tigres U.A.N.L. at the legendary Estadio Universitario in Monterrey.
“We’ve got to provide our players different experiences. We’ve got to have Houston at the forefront”, said Dash head coach James Clarkson. “As the game evolves, international competition becomes more important. Exposing our players to different and potentially hostile environments where there’s pressure from the crowd and games are competitive is important.”
<strong>WHO:</strong> |
<p>Houston Dash at Tigres U.A.N.L.</p> |
<strong>WHEN:</strong> |
<p>Saturday, October 5 – 9:15 p.m. CDT </p> |
<strong>WHERE:</strong> |
<p>Estadio Universitario – Nuevo Leon, México</p> |
<strong>STREAM:</strong> |
<p>Facebook (@TigresFemenilOficial); Twitter (@TigresFemenil)</p> |
Here are three key points ahead of tonight’s game:
- HISTORY IN THE MAKING – Tonight, the Dash will be the first NWSL team to play an international friendly in Mexico. The clash is set to happen in the famous Estadio Universitario, better known as ‘El Volcan,’ (the Volcano) shortly after the men’s side of Tigres takes on Club Santos Laguna in a sold-out game.
- SPARKING RIVALRY – The Dash hope to begin an era where the NWSL and Liga MX Femenil can build the historic rivalry between Mexico and the United States. On the men’s side, the MLS started an exciting competition with Liga MX, playing international friendlies and tournaments throughout the year. Houston, the geographically closest NWSL team to Mexico, accepted the challenge of taking on the two-time Liga MX Femenil Champions, following the footsteps of the Dynamo who played Tigres in March of this year as part of the CONCACAF Champions League quarter final at El Volcan. “Our teams in the league always want to take on teams internationally because there’s always talk about who is the best women’s league in the world”, said Dash goalkeeper and Mexican international Bianca Henninger. “We know Tigres is a really good team. All their girls are very talented, and their coach likes to play possession, so we’re excited for the challenge.”
- CLARKSON’S VISION – Ever since taking the lead of the club, Clarkson has emphasized the team’s grit. The head coach now looks to take the team’s talent into new territory in the hopes of creating new opportunities for the club in the future. “These are opportunities that we have to take advantages of – Monterrey is so close to us, so this is an ideal situation,” said Clarkson. “It’s something that we want to continue to do, build on it and push the envelope in our play and club development.”
