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A Spirited Win for the Current: Match Recap

The Kansas City Current marched into the nation’s capital and, behind goals from LaBonta and Chawinga, marched back out atop the NWSL standings.

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1 month ago

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Credit: Thad Bell

After a comfortable win at home against the Portland Thorns to open the season, the challenge level immediately increased in match #2 for the Kansas City Current. A trip east saw them clashing with the 2024 NWSL runners-up (and recently crowned Challenge Cup champions) Washington Spirit Saturday evening.

Week one of this young season saw just three squads notch victories and it was the usual suspects as three of the top four teams from last season (Orlando, Washington, and KC) sat alone atop the standings with three points. This match had the potential to provide some early season momentum for one of these sides looking to remain in pole position.

The Current trotted out a similar starting 11 to the group that raced out to three first-half goals last weekend, the one change being Izzy Rodriguez in for Elizabeth Ball (dealing with an injury) at fullback.

Chawinga, Cooper, and Debinha all notched tallies last time out. Could they find similar success against at step up in competition on the road?

Meanwhile, the Spirit would counter with a formidable group of their own.

In all three competitive matches thus far in 2025, Trinity Rodman has started on the bench, but thrice now she’s subbed on in the second half to provide her side a spark. Rodman was a goal scorer the last time these teams squared off in the nation’s capital, a 4-1 win for the home side.

A blustery night saw the initial 20 minutes play out rather conservatively as both teams felt each other out. Washington dominated the possession statistics, but it was the teal-clad unit that eventually started to look dangerous. In a short span, Cooper, Debinha, and Chawinga all had good opportunities within the Spirit’s box. First, after a wonderful ball from LaBonta and an equally impressive first touch by Cooper, her next touch let her down as she redirected a shot (with a deflection) well over the crossbar.

Moments later, after Chawinga rounded the keeper and played it back to Debinha, the Brazilian blasted a shot off the underside of the bar and back into play. And then, again just a few ticks of the clock after that, Cooper raced up the right side and into the six before playing it past Kingsbury and into the path of Temwa. The Malawian tried to touch it with the outside of her right boot into the empty net but got it wrong and sent it high.

That trio of chances would prove to be KC’s best opportunities of the first 45 as Washington began to shift the momentum after that. Continuing to get the lion’s share of possession, the Spirit came close to breaking through in the thirty-fifth minute and only a desperate, goal line save from Lorena kept the game level.

Lorena required medical attention following that save as she landed heavily on her wrist, but after strapping ice in her gloves, she was able to continue.

The only caution before intermission was shown to the 19-year-old Hutton following a rather mild challenge in the midfield. Five minutes of first half stoppage elapsed and the teams headed into the break with the scoreboard reading 0-0 but with KC leading in expected goals 0.98 to 0.63.

The second half began with a bang as both netminders were called into action within the first two minutes. First Santos found herself open and with the ball seven yards from goal but only managed to fire it right at Lorena. Almost immediately thereafter, a breakaway the other direction saw Debinha somehow get a shot away despite being surrounded by four Washington defenders. Trickling toward the far post, Kingsbury was able to smother the ball and, temporarily, maintain the scoreless clash.

That moment seemed to spark the visitors as what followed was ten minutes of consistent pressure with several shots and, after a Debinha cross to a Chawinga header, VAR correctly summoned the official to the monitor to check for a handball. That check led to a Lo specialty–fooling the keeper with a PK calmly slotted to her right.

With that goal, Washington went to their bench and brought on 1/3 of the Triple Espresso, Trinity Rodman, and with her first touch she seemed to draw the Spirit level. Off a free kick, a header in the box fell right to Rodman to slot home. What followed was a confusing several moments as the linesman indicated Rodman was offsides. Replays, though, showed that Chawinga had held her on, but the official was still summoned (again) to the monitor to look at not only the offsides call, but then a potential foul against McKeown who pushed off Hutton to get her head on the ball. Everyone held their breath through the review before the goal was officially waived off, not for offsides, but for the foul.

As if KC needed to live via video review help even more, they were saved once again after the head official whistled Cook for a takedown of Hatch in the box. It was always a curious call as any contact was minor and seemed to entirely occur outside of the 18. The review proved this to be the case and not only was the PK waived off, the was no foul called at all on the play.

Sensing the momentum entirely the way of Washington, Andonovski went to his bench, eventually using all five subs: first Mace and Prince, then Rocky Rodriguez and Flora Marta Lacho (making her NWSL debut and becoming the first Angolan to play in the league), and finally Hopkins to help kill off the match during 11 minutes of stoppage time (all those reviews added up).

The defense tightened up and while there were few more forays forward, there also were no more particularly dangerous chances allowed. Much credit should be awarded to the Current’s new starting goalie as Lorena consistently made smart decisions as to when to stay on her line and when to venture forward, often snatching the ball out of the air on crosses and corners.

With the Spirit really pressing for the equalizer, it was, in fact, Kansas City that would ice the match in the 98th minute. Mace carried the ball towards midfield and saw Chawinga sitting on DC’s back line. A perfectly lofted ball over the top allowed KC’s speedster to blaze past the only defender, round the keeper (who got a touch to it, but couldn’t control it) and finally poke the ball into the open net.

What had been a tense game, and an especially nervy second half relaxed significantly for the final few minutes as a win for the visitors was assured. Washington was 10-2-1 at home last year and so for the Current to march into the capital and nab all three points is an emphatic early season statement. Orlando travel to Gotham tomorrow and so, depending on the result of that match, KC could find themselves at least two points clear of any competition after only a pair of games.

Next Saturday the Current return home to square off against the Royals out of the beehive state. Until then, all of Kansas City can hop on the back of LaBonta’s bike (?…not entirely sure about the celly) and ride off to a perfect start to the season.

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