The Thorns honored their World Cup players in style with a dominant 5-0 victory over the Houston Dash, putting their stretch of questionable home form to bed in the process.
With the USWNT players more integrated into the team, coach Mark Parsons made several notable changes to his lineup. The Thorns made the return to four defenders, allowing room in the XI for a third forward, a switch which proved effective against a disorganized Dash backline.
The changes paid off early; Lindsey Horan had two good looks in the fifth minute of the match as she got on the end of Tobin Heath’s corner.