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Two teams searching for their first points of the 2025 NWSL regular season will square off on Sunday. Houston Dash are on the road to face Chicago Stars FC at SeatGeek Stadium, and despite a loss last week during their home opener, the new-look Dash are eager to break a losing streak against the Stars.

Chicago has won four previous meetings against the Dash across all competitions. It's a streak that includes four clean sheets, and if the Stars record a fifth shutout win, it'll be the first for an NWSL side against a single opponent in league history. It won't be easy as the two teams are the only squads with zero points at the moment, so look for some extra pop between both clubs.

The 2025 NWSL regular season is offically underway and fans can watch select matches across CBS platforms including CBS, CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, and CBS Sports Golazo Network. 

How to watch Chicago Stars vs. Houston Dash

Familiar faces

Houston made lots of offseason moves with midfield upgrades in Delanie Sheehan and Danielle Colaprico, and exciting attacking additions with Yazemeen Ryan and Messiah Bright. Like Colaprico, Dash boss Fabrice Gautrat spent a significant portion of his career in Chicago, as an academy director and as a volunteer assistant coach before promotions to part-time and later full-time assistant roles with the Stars senior side.

The Dash are coming off a 2-1 loss to 2025 NWSL Challenge Cup winners Washington Spirit, and despite the loss, had lots of positives in attack against the title holders. The Dash led in total shots (11), possession (55%), and total passes (432), but Gautrat was particularly impressed with the Dash's defensive efforts against a solid attacking side in the Spirit. 

"If you would have told me at the beginning of the game that we would have limited Spirit to five box entries, I would have been like, okay, that's a good that's a good performance," Gautrat told the media ahead of Sunday's match.

"I think defensively, just being really organized and connected, and understanding when to press, when to get our set structure. I was very, very pleased with that. I think the players kind of executed those things to a tee and the behaviors you're seeing, I think positionally, the ideas were there in the offense." 

Gautrat believes the squad has the pieces to build off their performance against the Spirit while on the road against Chicago as they look to improve in areas where they want to execute their tactics.

"I think positionally, we were a little bit off [against the Spirit], so that was the thing for us, is to get that structure right in order for us to do what we do. And the players saw that if you're five yards a little too disconnected one way or the other, how it creates a chain reaction. One thing I really liked about the second half, we played with a lot more bravery and possession and we played with a lot more [belief] and you saw us break their press many times. And that's just the positioning piece, but it's also a mentality piece. You've got to believe you can do those things ... still a long way to go." 

Player belief

The Dash organization has had years of rotating managers at the interim and full-time head coaching levels. Gautrat is the sixth full-time Dash manager and the seventh person to fill the role, including interims, since the 2022 season. While Houston had a busy offseason trading for players and making acquisitions, there are still players who have been with the club for years, and some who are still in the early phases of their careers looking for stability. 

Like all new eras, there is still a layer of seeing it before you believe it, but for second-year Dash player Avery Patterson, she can already note some of the changes Gautrat and his staff have brought after a full preseason together and now one regular season match behind them.

"Honestly, it's also off-field stuff, because, I mean, it's hard to disclose without going too much into detail about everything last year, but I mean, everything off the field has -- we've all just seen a shift in, in buying in," said Patterson.

"I mean, there's not many other ways to put it, but everyone knows that, like this is just the beginning, and this is going to be something that we build off of -- this year, and everything that he's taught us over the last month or so, you can just feel the vibe shift, and it's something that's special, and it's something that I'm very grateful to be a part of."

Avoiding last place

Both Chicago and Houston are the only teams without points, all other 12 clubs have managed at least a draw out of weeks one and two. With both teams at the bottom of the table, there's plenty to play for, and while it's very early in the season teams know they can set themselves up for success with results. Sometimes, when two teams find themselves pinned in the same corner, they might swing their way out. 

"I mean, every game is going to always be like that. Personally, I try not to look at the standings. It's hard not to. Obviously, it's kind of an unrealistic goal of mine," Patterson joked. 

"But, every game is going to be the same mentality of going and punch them in the mouth in the first 10 minutes. So yeah, I think that's definitely our mentality, and it will probably be theirs as well, but, but regardless of the table, that will always be what we what we do."

Match Prediction

The return of Ludmila will be helpful for Chicago, but it's game one for the Brazilian international, and the Dash attack looked far more advanced in week one against Orlando Pride. Pick: Dash 2, Chicago 1