HOUSTON (Sep. 5, 2026) - The Houston Dash close a three-game road stretch on Sunday, Sept. 6 as they travel to Florida to face the Orlando Pride. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT and Dash fans can visit local Pub Partners to watch the match with fellow Dash fans. A full list of Pub Partners is available HERE.
Dash midfielder Sarah Puntigam will be eligible for selection on Sunday following her return from parental leave. Puntigam began her parental leave on Aug. 21 ahead of the birth of her first child and could make her first appearance on Sunday since Aug. 19 when she came off the bench in Houston’s triumph over Chicago Stars FC at Shell Energy Stadium.
Houston also added two players to the roster earlier this week. The Dash signed midfielder Peyton Parsons to a short-term contract and defender Jordan Brewster through the end of the 2026 season. Both players will be eligible for selection on Sunday.
The Dash will look to close a three-match road stretch with points following back-to-back setbacks in San Jose and Seattle. Houston fell 1-0 to Seattle last week and enters Sunday's match level on points with Orlando in the league table, four points behind the eighth and final playoff position. Goalkeeper Jane Campbell finished with four saves against Seattle and now ranks second in the league with 83 saves this season.
Sunday's match will also be Houston's first without midfielder Linda Ullmark, who recently joined the U.S. U-20 Women's National Team in Poland ahead of the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. The 20-year-old has started all 22 of Houston's matches this season and was named NWSL Rookie of the Month in July after recording two assists and scoring her first goal in league play.
Ullmark's recognition was the second of three Rookie of the Month honors earned by Dash players this season. Forward Kat Rader earned the award in May and again earlier this week for the month of August. The Duke University alum currently leads all NWSL rookies with nine goals and needs to score three goals to set a new record for goals scored by a rookie in league play and club record for the most goals scored in a single season.
Houston's first-year players have combined for 16 goal contributions this season, while the Dash continue to lead the league in rookie starts, appearances and minutes played. The club's young core has also driven much of its offensive production, with players aged 24 or younger accounting for 23 of Houston's 28 goals this season.
The Orlando Pride enter Sunday’s match under interim head coach Yolanda Thomas after the club parted ways with Seb Hines earlier this week. Thomas joined the Pride as an assistant coach ahead of the 2023 season and will lead Orlando as it looks to rebound from a 2-1 home loss to Utah Royals FC last weekend. The defeat marked Orlando’s fifth home loss of the season, already more than the club suffered across the previous two seasons combined. The Pride posted a 15-4-7 (WLD) record at home over that two-year span.
Forward Barbra Banda scored Orlando’s lone goal against Utah and continues to lead the club's attack with 13 goals this season. Nine of those goals have come at home. Banda recently returned to Florida after representing Zambia at the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations. Orlando's attack also features Brazilian legend Marta and Mexican international Jacqueline Ovalle. The Pride will be without goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse on Sunday after she joined Manchester City on loan for the remainder of the year. Moorhouse started 20 of Orlando’s 22 matches this season, creating a significant change for a team that will also be navigating its first match under new leadership.
Sunday’s match is the first of two regular-season meetings between Houston and Orlando in 2026. The Dash will host the Pride at Shell Energy Stadium on Oct. 18 for the return fixture. Orlando won the regular-season series last year following a 1-0 victory in Florida before the teams played to a 1-1 draw in Houston last October. Houston's most recent victory in Orlando came in 2019, when a Rachel Daly goal secured a 1-0 win for the Dash.
The team returns to Shell Energy Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12 to host Noche Latina as they welcome Utah Royals FC. Tickets for the match are available HERE.
