Houston Dash looking to turn the tide of history

History has not been kind to the Houston Dash. A good team but not a great team, they have been at the precipice of the playoffs on more then one occasion only to fall off and miss the berth they sought. Now they have a team built for the playoffs. Can they make it?

The Houston Dash have been in search of a playoff berth from the moment they stepped n the pitch in 2014. They have come close on more than one occasion. The most recent ones coming in 2019 when they were eliminated with two games to play and last season when the Washington Spirit bounced them on the final day of the season.

Houston looks for a little revenge when they return to the site of their last elimination at Audi Field. Once again, they face elimination on the final day against the defending NWSL champions who are playing the spoilers in 2022. Can they change the course of history?

This Houston team is far different from many of their other playoff pretenders. This team has a multitude of offensive weapons, they play a tight defense, they are a good road team, and they have a coaching staff they believe in. Those four keys makes this a whole different scenario entering the weekend.

Houston is 3-3-1 on the road against the Spirit with a goal differential of minus one. Last year's goal that sent them home on a quiet plane ride came off the boot of Trinity Rodman in the 76th minute. This season, Houston has tightened up the defense especially on the road where they are 6-2-2 with the most important one of all to come. Houston's offense has the hottest goal scorer in the NWSL and possibly on the planet. Ebony Salmon has scored nine goals since arriving in Houston on June 27th. She is expected to return from COVID protocol and that in itself is worth a goal.

Whether or not, the Houston Dash change the course of playoff history remains to be seen. One thing for sure is fans will see a team that is built to win and anything short of that will be a disappointment.