Preview: Houston Dash v Kansas City Current

Two familiar foes meet on the pitch to begin the month of July as the Kansas City Current visits the Houston Dash. Houston near the top of the table looks to continue its upward trend while the Current seeks to stay clear of the cellar. Here;s what you can expect in this match.

Ebony Salmon's debut

Although interim head coach Sarrah Lowdon did not come right out and say we would see Salmon, her words make it clear that she is excited to have her for selection.

“It's really exciting. She's a special type of player. She's creative. She's got pace, she can score goals from inside the box, outside the box. I think she, is a young talent, she's obviously 21. She'sgot a lot of upside. We're really excited that we're able to add her to our frontline depth. It's nice to have a familiar accent on the team. We've kind of joke, she's a Manchester United fan and I'm a Newcastle fan, so we've already had a bit of a laugh about that. We're really excited to get her here. I think she's going to be great for the Dash. It's a great, great pickup for us.”

Look for Salmon who scored her NWSL debut goal against the Dash a year ago give or take a ten days will be on the pitch sometime on Friday night.

Three goals from the Dash attack

Three goals are my words not those of anyone associated with the team. They will be as happy with a 1-0 win as they would a 3-0 win. Make no mistake tough, the Houston Dash are not going to let the Kansas City Current derail what they have going under Lowdon. Look for Shea Groom to facilitate the attack and When Salmon joins in on the pitch, there will be some special chemistry according to the veteran.

"I think she's gonna fit in really, really well. Especially with Nichelle Prince being gone, we need somebody that's going to challenge backlines with speed. She also brings that strength to the table where she can hold players up and I can run off her. She's been here a short time, but we've had a lotof conversations on the pitch. When I'm dribbling what I'm thinking, and what she's thinking. I've already really grown to love playing off her. I think she's looking to set the ball to me, and watch me get in behind, and sometimes vice versa. I think it's going to be a great partnership and she's done really well, so far and adapting. It's hard to come in and play a game your first week, so, super proud of her and just, yeah, excited to continue to develop that relationship and build our chemistry.”

The right formation

Lowdon is a coach that does her homework. She knows what Kansas City brings to the table and the team has confidence in her ability to put them in a position to win. Groom is one of the players that has benefitted from Lowdon's style and her performance will be paramount to a win on Friday.

“The most important thing for me and for the team is, what is going to suit the players and the skill set that those players have best. We made the tactical change to match up against Portland when they play 3-5-2, because they hadn't seen that yet and came out to a victory in that game. I think we just realized that really worked for us in a lot of ways. The good thing about it is now we know how to play a lot of different formations and can switch on the fly. It's important to be adaptable. For me, just being able to have the freedom to roam, defend, pick the ball up and attack has been where I flourish."