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The games are coming thick and fast for the Chicago Red Stars, who are once again short-staffed going into game 4 of the Challenge Cup against Houston. It's the final home game of the Challenge Cup for the Red Stars, who are 1-1-1 through three games. After brushing off Houston on opening day, the Red Stars suffered a loss to KC and a draw with Louisville, and sit on 4 points in second place. The match will kick off at 7:00 PM Central Time at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview.
The Red Stars have five starters missing, with most of them long-term injuries. Tierna Davidson is out with a torn ACL, suffered last week, which keeps her out for the full season. Kealia Watt has a knee injury, and Rachel Hill has a hip injury and could return in the coming weeks. Sarah Woldmoe and Casey Krueger are on maternity leave. Morgan Gautrat returned to the bench last week after some time out and is available for selection. The Red Stars are still trying to figure out how they will adjust to playing without their keystone defender, Davidson, and that process might take some time.
Houston hasn’t had a great start, either. They have one win and two losses through their first three; an opening day 3-1 loss to Chicago, a thrilling come-from-behind 3-2 win over Louisville, and a 3-0 loss to Kansas City. Rachel Daly scored in both of the first two games and will lead the line for the Dash. Maria Sánchez also scored in the win over Louisville and has been a good, consistent performer for the Dash on the wing. Though they haven’t been able to put it all together yet, players like Jane Campbell and Katie Naughton will make the Dash a formidable opponent.
The match will be aired on Paramount+.
Chicago Red Stars vs. Houston Dash
NWSL Challenge Cup Matchday 4 | Saturday, April 2 | SeatGeek Stadium
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. CT
Streaming: Paramount+, Twitch (international)