Dash win third game; clinch second place

Critics beware: The Dash are not who you think they are. They are a team to be reckoned with now. Three wins in a row, a championship, and $15,000 in prize money is not the same team from previous seasons.

A sweep of the Orlando Pride and a split with defending NWSL champions North Carolina Courage show the team is loaded with talent.

In the final game of 2020, Houston took on Orlando in Kisimmee, Florida. What followed was a thriller to the end.

The scoring started when midfielder Shea Groom put a header on a Kristie Mewis assist in the 13^th minute. A second goal by Veronica Latsko in the 29^th minute would put Houston up 2-0 going into halftime. 

Dash player Haley Hanson would get a yellow card in the first minute of stoppage time for a bad foul.

Orlando’s only goal would come in the 47^th minute when Sydney Leroux put one in on an Abby Elinsky assist. Leroux would also get a yellow card in the 54^th minute of play.

Houston would go on to win 2-1 and after Portland won against OL Reign, the Dash would finish in second place and secure a $15,000 prize for the Houston NAACP.

What will happen with the 2021 season? Can the team keep the momentum going and bring home an NWSL Cup trophy? The answers remain to be seen.

Dash dominate Courage; Undefeated at home

Coming off a win over Orlando Pride SC, the Dash hoped to keep the momentum alive on October 4 against defending league champions North Carolina Courage. From the start, the Dash came out firing.

The scoring started with a goal by Canadian Sophie Schmidt in the 30^th minute on an assist by Kristie Mewis. This put the Dash up 1-0 and the scoring was only getting started. Coming off a 2019 season-ending ACL injury, Veronica Latsko put the Dash up 2-0 in the 37^th minute. Mewis again got the assist.

The Dash were up 2-0 at the half and would not look back. Kristie Mewis, who already had two assists, put Houston up 3-0 on a Latsko assist in the 60^th minute.

A yellow card issued to Dash player Shea Groom in the 70^th minute did not seem to send the team into a slump.

Houston would allow North Carolina to get on the board in the 74^th minute. Lynn Williams was assisted by Ryan Williams, but it was not enough.

In the 83^rd minute, Shea Groom would put the game away for good with a goal and assist by Kristie Mewis.

The Dash wrap up the Fall Series in Florida on October 9 at 4:00pm. Fans can catch the action on CBS Sports Network. With a win, Houston could pass up second place Washington Spirit or first place Portland Thorns. If Portland loses and the Dash win, the first-place prize of $25,000 could be ours.

Dash get first victory of Fall Series

 On September 26, the Houston Dash hosted the Orlando Pride in the second game of their fall series. The game gave Houston their first points and a win. 

The Dash dominated from the start. Nichelle Prince got the scoring started in the 27th minute to put the Dash up 1-0. The Pride would answer in the 45+3 minute with a goal by Marissa Viggiano to tie the game going into halftime. 

The second half again favored the Houston Dash. In the 48th minute, Deneisha Blackwood of Orlando is given a yellow for a bad foul. A penalty in the 54th minute on Orlando's Viggiano resulted in a penalty kick. Sophie Schmidt of the Dash scored to put Houston up 2-1 in the 55th minute. Another yellow card would seal doom for Orlando as Jordyn Listro is called for a bad foul in the 68th minute. 

Houston would seal the victory in the 72nd minute on a goal by Shea Groom. 

Next up for Houston is a home match against the North Carolina Courage. That game is Sunday at 6. Fans can catch the game on Twitch. 

Can Houston get a win over Carolina? If we play like we did the last time, a win is very possible. The final game for Houston is a trip to Orlando as Houston closes out the Fall Series. 

Wildfires scorch West

 It’s been more than a week since the West saw an outbreak of wildfires. They continue to burn with no end in sight. Trump was briefed by state officials on Monday.

Historic drought, fueled by low humidity and Santa Anna winds have turned fire season into a year-long fight. The air is so toxic, it’s like smoking 20 packs of cigarettes every day. Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco now have some of the worst air quality in the world. The fires could burn well into November.

The town of Talent, Oregon has been wiped off the map due to the fires. Most people had little time to get out before the flames reached town.

In Oregon, officials are preparing for a mass casualty event as the flames continue out of control. Those who made it out have harrowing stories to tell.

Mandy McDonald is now homeless. “I went at the exact moment to come around the corner, only to see my house engulfed in flames and fall to the ground.”

Lake Oroville, California resident Denis Hendrickson was forced to flee her home. “I’ve survived four different fires and don’t even know if my house is still standing. Eight of us had to go to the end of our road … go into the sand and get down to the water to avoid the flames.”

Another California resident saw their home completely wiped out, two years after a fire claimed their home in a nearby community. “It hurts more this time I think than it did the last time. Getting things back together and having to rebuild is devastating.”

California Governor Gavin Newsom described this fire season as a perfect storm. “You have the Santa Anna winds and dry vegetation. This is the perfect fuel for a fire.” He also said the current situation is a climate emergency during a tour of an area north of Sacramento. More than 250,000 acres have burned so far. “The reality is the megafires we’re experiencing are a result of megadroughts caused by climate change.”

Scientists point to the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, that decimate forests and make them prone to fire outbreaks.

At least 35 fatalities are blamed on the wildfires out West. Destruction is beyond imaginable as whole communities and towns are wiped out.

Red flag warnings, signaling imminent fire danger, stretched from Southern Oregon to Northern California right now.

Authorities in Ashland, Oregon reported as many as 50 people could be missing after a fire broke out there. At least 10 fatalities are known so far in Oregon alone. This does not include California or Washington State.

Numerous studies in recent years have linked climate change caused by burning fossil fuels to bigger and more destructive wildfires.

The Democratic governors of all three states tell CBS News the fires are a consequence of climate change. They took aim at Donald Trump for downplaying the extent of climate change and its effects on wildfire season.

Washington Governor Jay Inslee told ABC’s This Week that it’s maddening when we have this cosmic challenge to communities and then have the president deny they’re wildfires.

At a Nevada rally, Trump blamed inadequate forest management as the direct cause of the fires. White House adviser Peter Navarro echoed that to CNN’s State of the Union. “For many years in California, particularly because of budget cuts, there was no inclination to manage the forests.”

Climate change is real and fire season is becoming year-round out West. While proper forest management can prevent some destruction, it will not prevent fires from happening.

Dash fall short in first game back

 Things did not go well for the defending Challenge Cup champions in the first game back since July. Facing the defending league champions, the North Carolina Courage, the Dash gave it their all.

The Houston Dash, North Carolina Courage, and Orlando Pride all make up the South pod for the Fall Series. Each team plays the other two teams in a home and home scenario. This allows for minimal travel amid the current pandemic.

Things did not start well for Houston. Canadian National Team member Allysha Chapman was issued a yellow card for a bad foul. The Courage would get on the board first in the 18th minute on an unassisted goal by Abby Dahlkemper. This would not last long as Houston tied it at 1 with a goal by Veronica Latsko.

After missing most of the 2019 season with a torn ACL, Latsko was more than eager to rejoin the team.

A goal in the 37th minute by Kristie Mewis put Houston up 2-1 going into halftime.

The second half saw back and forth lead changes. A goal by North Carolina’s Debinha would tie the score at 2 in the 52nd minute. Another yellow card by Chapman resulted in an automatic red card ejection. The Dash were now down to 10 players for the rest of the game.

Sophie Schmidt would put Houston up 3-2 in the 70th minute. A goal in the 83rd minute by North Carolina’s Lynn Williams tied it at 3 and then the go-ahead goal in the 86th minute put the Courage up 4-3. That would be the final score.

Next up for Houston is the Orlando Pride in Orlando on September 26. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm on Twitch.

Houston hosts North Carolina on October 4 at 6:00 pm at BBVA stadium. That game is also on Twitch. Orlando visits on October 9 for a 4:00 pm kickoff. That game is on CBS Sports Network. Information on how to purchase tickets and safety protocols can be found at http://www.bbvastadium.com/news/detail/bbva-stadium-to-host-limited-number-of-fans-at-upcoming-home-matches

Networks could lose billions due to no college football

 While college football on Saturdays doesn't draw the same ratings as the NFL does, the sheer volume of games on national television brings in untold revenue to both the schools athletic department and the network televising the game. The cancellation of games by the Mid-American Conference and the Mountain West Conference, as well as the postponement of fall sports by the Big Ten and Pac-12, has forced networks to figure out how to fill up Saturdays without college football. 

The Big 12 Conference and Southeast Conference have said they plan to play this fall. 

What will happen if the rest of the Power Five Conferences cancel their football season as well? The resulting revenue loss will be massive. Not only will national networks like ESPN, ABC, Fox Sports, and CBS lose out, regional networks will also lose out. 

The Power Five is made up of the Big XII, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC, and ACC conferences. 

According to the Hollywood Reporter, college football brings in an estimated $1.7 billion in annual advertising revenue sales at the national level. This does not include the local sports talk shows and local programming that fuels college football during the week. 

Consider the size of the NCAA, and you will begin to grasp why college football is so important. There are 130 Division I college football programs, compared to only 30 franchises in the NFL. The addition of a college football playoff has also fueled the championship atmosphere. The national title game between Louisiana State University and Clemson University drew more than 25 million viewers according to Nielsen. 

The possibility of no college football is more than just a money issue for networks. It's also about how they will fill the time normally reserved for football. 

College football dominates Saturdays, much like the NFL dominates Sundays. 

Patrick Crakes, a former Fox Sports executive turned media consultant told CNN Business that college football not only chews up entire Saturdays from September to December, but also fills up vital prime time hours on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. "The networks lay out hundreds of millions of dollars every year for these college football conferences, in aggregate to the billions, and you get all of it back because college football fans view games as must-see content."

He also said the investment is enormous, but the return is supposed to be the same. Right now, two-fifths of that is gone."

Networks like ESPN and Fox Sports weathered the loss of live sports by airing classic games, studio shows, and pre-produced events. This bought the networks some time until the NBA, NHL, and MLB resumed games last month. What many don't realize is that the National Women's Soccer League was actually the first to resume play. From June 26 to July 25, the NWSL Challenge Cup was played in suburban Salt Lake City, Utah. The Houston Dash were crowned champions. 

Jay Rosenstein, a former VP of programming at CBS Sports, told CNN Business that if the NBA and MLB playoffs happen, it will fill some of the holes for a while. But college football is the backbone of networks like ESPN. It's not just Saturday, but every day of the week. 

Rosenstein pointed out that ESPN invested billions into the College Football Playoff, which includes the national championship game. Without college football, ESPN loses the only championship they have the exclusive right to televise. 

Will there even be a college football season? The Big XII and SEC have said they will play this fall, but nothing is set in stone. 

MLS players jeered over National Anthem protests

 In one of the first Major League Soccer games back from the lockdown, players from both FC Dallas and Nashville FC were jeered when they knelt for the National Anthem. Dallas player Reggie Cannon said he was personally disgusted by the actions of the fans in attendance. 

FC Dallas teammate Ryan Hollingshead turned to Cannon afterward and told him that it was baffling that players are not respected in their home stadium. "As a team, we try and give the best possible product on the field. The last six months have been absolute hell." 

The teams had not played a match since the season was initially suspended on March 12 due to the coronavirus outbreak. While MLS teams played in the MLS is Back tournament in Orlando, Florida, Dallas and Nashville were forced to withdraw before the tournament started due to high numbers of players and staff having the virus. 

Will fans continue to jeer players who kneel for the National Anthem or will they begin to accept that kneeling is a way to call out police brutality and racism against minorities?