Match Preview: KC Current at Portland Thorns

In an effort to maintain some optimism about the Kansas City Current season, here are a couple of reasons the glass could still be half full. First of all, reinforcements are coming. The two-time defending league MVP, Temwa Chawinga, is nearing her return and this summer should also see Alana Cook and Vanessa DiBernardo get back out on the pitch. A team that trots out a lineup of Lorena, Rodriguez, Sharples, Cook, Bravo Young, LaBonta, DiBernardo, Debinha, Bethune, Cooper, and Chawinga should be a formidable unit.

Additionally, the start of the season for the NWSL has been rather nuts. Consider these facts/results: the team many analysts pegged as favorites, the Washington Spirit, are winless three matches into the season. The expansion team Denver Summit just earned their first ever victory by going on the road and winning 2-0 over the defending champions Gotham. At most, there will be only one team with a perfect 3-0-0 record after three matches (Houston and Angel City square off Friday night as the only two teams currently at 2-0-0). The “big three” (Orlando, Washington, and Kansas City) over the past two seasons, have combined for two wins, three draws, and four losses thus far. It was July in 2024 when Orlando and KC battled as undefeated teams–nothing will even come close to replicating that this season.

So the point of all of this is that A) the Current can (and likely will) get better and B) there is a chance that no team in the league is actually going to consistently be good this year.

Those points may be true, but this is also true–as of right now, the KC Current are not very good. The lineup that took the field Wednesday night in Spokane could have been reasonably confused with a Current II squad. All the fans’ “what the heck” moments over the offseason are playing out in nightmare scenarios. Chris Armas looks out of his depth on the sidelines. Perhaps being a ho-hum MLS coach doesn’t automatically translate into being a standout NWSL coach. Replacing a talent like Bia at striker is hard. The team’s depth, put under the microscope already by a combination of injuries and a busy schedule, is proving woefully thin. And, guess what, young world class defensive midfielders don’t grow on trees*. It should surprise no one that Katie Scott and Kelsey Branson can’t replicate the midfield presence of Claire Hutton and Lo LaBonta. (And that’s not meant to be an insult to Scott and Branson–two young athletes who could grow into competent league players. It’s just that at this point in their careers, they are not starting for the USWNT like Hutton and LaBonta have been.)

*To add insult to injury, Bay FC just signed Hutton through the 2030 season.

Anyway, this is supposed to be a preview of Saturday afternoon’s match of the Current visiting the Portland Thorns. Both teams are entering the game coming off a Wednesday night loss, however, a glance at their resumes paints distinct pictures. For the Thorns, they opened the season with two wins, including defeating the Spirit on the road and then downing the Reign 2-0 despite playing much of the second half with just nine players. Yes, their rotated lineup fell 1-3 to the Wave in San Diego midweek, but they should be back close to full strength (with Sophia Wilson increasing her minutes in her return from maternity leave) by Saturday.

Compare those results to the three matches Kansas City has completed thus far. The Current needed a second half comeback to top the Utah Royals in their opener (the Royals have all of one point through three games). KC followed that by losing to Chicago (the Stars other two games have been 0-4 and 0-3 defeats) and being thoroughly outplayed by Seattle–yes, the same team that couldn’t turn a two-woman advantage into points against Portland.

So on paper, this game seems like a mismatch with the Current very much on the wrong side of the equation. Kansas City fans have spent two years being spoiled with the team winning 37 times and losing just 6 times between the 2024 and 2025 regular seasons. Three matches into this year, they are already 2/3 of the way to their loss total of last year and have already spent more game-time trailing than they did over 26 matches a year ago. They have also conceded nearly half of the total amount of goals (6 vs. 13) from 2025. Sure, it was unlikely that they were going to be able to fully replicate the record-breaking success of last season, but the degree to which they’ve fallen is still jarring.

The ownership group, particularly Angie and Chris Long, have been rightfully praised for so much since they brought an NWSL team back to the heartland. They are still investing in women’s sports in a way that has never been seen before. And they have been outspoken in their desire for the Current to not only consistently be the best team in this league, but to be the best team in the world of women’s football. However, as this offseason shows, there might be some flaws in the organization they’ve set up. Something had players like Hutton, Bia, Pfeiffer, etc. willing to leave if not actively wanting out, and their positions have not adequately been filled.

With all this said, there was a point, relatively early in the 2025 season, when the Current went on a two-match road trip and lost consecutive games to the North Carolina Courage and the Seattle Reign. For that brief window, there were some rumblings about the team falling off the pace. Of course, those worries proved completely unfounded and the team wouldn’t lose again until the penultimate match of the season. Is there a chance this current two-match swoon is something similar and the team will get the ship righted soon? Perhaps, though the on-field displays aren’t promising.

They will be tested in Rose City Saturday afternoon and will hopefully be able to show something new and better than what they’ve put forth thus far.

WHEN: Saturday, March 28 at 3:00 PM (Central Time)

WHERE: Providence Park, Portland, OR

HOW TO WATCH: CBS / Paramount+

Record:

KC Current: 1-0-2 (3 points, 11th place)

Portland Thorns: 2-0-1 (6 points, 5th place)

Last Match:

KC Current: 0-3 away defeat to the Seattle Reign

Portland Thorns: 1-3 away defeat at San Diego Wave