Houston Dash vs. North Carolina Courage takeaways: María Sánchez still a threat from wing back & more

HOUSTON, TX — The Houston Dash returned to PNC Stadium after three consecutive away matches and added another valuable point to its regular season tally on Sunday. With just under a quarter of the season gone, the Dash are holding it down in the NWSL playoff places. It was an impressive return after the team lost head coach James Clarkson to a surprise suspension days before the regular season began. 

READ MORE: Daly plays 100th match, Dash tie with Courage at PNC

Some might say that a 1-1 draw with a North Carolina Courage team who had lost all three of its previous NWSL regular season matches isn't much to celebrate, but the tie does mean that Houston has now gone four matches without defeat for its longest unbeaten streak since October 2021 when the Dash went 3-0-2 over a five-game stretch. 

Although the Dash were unable find that second goal and finish off the Courage, it was an overall impressive 90 minutes. Houston were arguably the better team on Sunday and within the past month, have developed into a stingy opponent for anyone in the NWSL right now. 

READ MORE: Will Lowdon stick with formation change?  

Here's three takeaways from a tight 1-1 between the Dash and the Courage: 

The one that got away

I apologize if I am creating a false narrative but I find it hard to let this one go. Diana Ordoñez should be a Houston Dash player. The rookie from Prosper was selected by the Courage as the number six overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft — the very pick the Dash owned before trading it away for $125,000 a couple of days before that draft. 

What the Dash has done or will do with that money remains unclear. The NWSL transfer window will open very soon on June 1 and perhaps there will be a high profile international signing that arrives to expunge my concern that passing up on Ordoñez was the wrong move. 

Ordoñez is such a brilliant player to have on the pitch because she knows where the goal is. That may sound like a slightly redundant compliment in a game where that tends to be the sole objective. But it is a rare talent, especially in young players who are still adjusting to the professional level. 

At just 21 years old, Ordoñez's age belies the maturity she displays in leading the forward line in the NWSL. 

Long term, she could have been the heir to Rachel Daly’s throne. Short term, she could have been a developing star for Houston, a player able to slot in nicely as an alternate option to Michaela Abam. A third traditional center forward on the Dash roster who can link play with the wingers and attack the box. Had she ended up in Houston, I would have predicted Ordoñez to notch 10 starts, 1,400 minutes and six goals as a Houston player in 2022.

After many years of tearing it up in Texas youth soccer with the FC Dallas women and then leading the nation’s scoring charts in NCAA DI for the University of Virginia in 2021, it has felt like only a matter of time before Ordoñez made a name for herself in the NWSL.  

Maybe it is shallow to believe a player who is from Texas would feel extra connected with the fans and the club, but I do think that off the pitch, Ordoñez would have also been a major member in the Dash community. Seeing 40 members of her family explode with joy in the stands at PNC Stadium as she scored the first regular season NWSL goal of her professional career in Houston was a treat that I will admit made my eyes water. 

It feels like the fates of Houston and Ordoñez will be forever linked. Perhaps one day that will even mean seeing her walk out in orange. 

"La Bombi" is a ticking time... bomb

From one American-born Mexican international to another... Maria Sánchez is embarking on a goal involvement drought. Despite being involved in four out of the Dash’s five goals during the Challenge Cup, she has now gone five matches of the NWSL regular season without registering a goal or an assist. 

As you can see in the frame (below), Sánchez found herself mostly in a left wing back role. Against North Carolina she was positioned in front of the three center backs Ally Prisock, Katie Naughton and Allysha Chapman (right to left) when the Dash had the ball. You can also note how high up her opposition marker defender Meritt Mathias is stationed. That is because of the Courage's narrow midfield, which relies heavily on the full backs to provide width.

Sánchez has been one of the players most positionally affected by Lowdon’s tactical shifts of late. Instead of being deployed in her natural position in the Houston frontline, "La Bombi" has recently found herself further back as a left wing back or left midfielder. 

But there is no need to panic. On Sunday, Sánchez was still able to lead the Dash in many offensive statistics. These included: completed passes in the final third (seven), crosses (seven) and shots (four). On the defensive side of the ball, Sánchez also led the team in recoveries with 11. In the second half, it was her stinging effort that forced the best save of the match from Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy, too. 

While some Houston fans could complain it feels like she's being wasted in her more withdrawn role, there is evidence to show she's still generating a threat. It feels like only a matter of time before Sánchez finds herself back in the box score.

"We created lots of chances, we got in behind them a lot, especially in the system," Lowdon told The Striker Texas. "It's just that organizing attacks is the hardest part of the game to create opportunities in the run of play. I've told the team before that it's the hardest phase."

Ultimately, Sánchez was signed to create and score goals. The fact that she's putting in such quality performances on the defensive side of the ball is an added bonus. Of course, there is a balance to strike with that bonus. Watching how Lowdon chooses to get the best out of Sánchez while also doing what is best for the team will be fascinating. 

"Just dig deep" 

Something unique about Sunday’s draw was that the Dash had to fight back from a deficit. Considering that the only other time Houston has been trailing in a match under Lowdon was from the 87th minute against the San Diego Wave, this was new ground. 

The response was impressive. It took just 25 minutes for the Dash to get back level and then assert themselves as the most likely winner. At both ends of the pitch, Houston showed it can change the tempo and react to adversity. After Ordoñez’s goal in the 24th minute, the Dash completely took over the match in terms of chances created.

Around the time of the game’s opening goal, the two teams were level for expected goals, around 0.15 for Houston and 0.05 for North Carolina. After Ordoñez scored, the Courage flatlined while the Dash kept probing. You can see the game flow illustrated on this chart by Arielle Dror below. 

During this year’s Challenge Cup, the Dash normalized playing from a deficit. Houston started four of its six matches by trailing at half time, coming back to get points in just one of those games.

However, since the regular season started, that worrying trend had been erased. North Carolina’s goal on Sunday was the first Houston has conceded in the first half of a match during the 2022 regular season. 

In the NWSL, picking up points in lots of different ways will be important. Prior to Sunday, Lowdon had already found some success at setting her team up in training to fulfill a game plan. On Sunday, the acting head coach of the Dash showed she can do more than just rely on preparation. Lowdon can ask her players to rally, turn the tide and find a result against the run of play. 

"We've got better at being gritty," said Daly about the team's growth after the match. "When things go wrong, you know, backs against the wall, we could pull ourselves out. I think we've got to embrace that, and that's what we started to do, just dig deep."