KC Current
Preview: Kansas City Current host Portland Thorns and a pregame podcast
Who: Kansas City Current vs Portland Thorns
Where: Children’s Mercy Park – Kansas City
When: 11:40 a.m. – April 1st
Watch: CBS and Paramount
In their home opener, the Kansas City Current host the Portland Thorns Saturday, April 1st. It is a rematch of the 2022 NWSL Championship Final that Thorns won 2-0. The Current expects a club record attendance, exceeding the 10,395 set in 2022.
The Thorns won their home opener last week, trouncing the Orlando Pride 4-0 with goals from Weaver, Smith, Sugita and Vasconcelos. The Current fell 1-0 in their season opener at North Carolina.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas City Current –
Midfielder Debinha is expected to make her debut, whether it is starting or off the bench, the uber-talented Brazilian will be available. The Current signed Debinha in the off-season, scoring the most sought-after free agent in the NWSL.
Forward Michelle Cooper was taken second overall in the draft and the Current gave up Lynn Williams for that selection. Cooper came out of college early and is one of the dynamic young stars in the league. After getting her first game under her belt, she will be looking for her first goal.
Portland Thorns –
Sophia Smith is the reigning NWSL MVP for a good reason. Smith likes the Current, she scored her first and last goals of 2022 against the Kansas City Current. The USWNT forward is quickly becoming one of the biggest scoring threats in the league and for the national team. After Smith, the Thorns are stacked with talents like Morgan Weaver,  Hina Sugita, Crystal Dunn, Sam Coffey, Christine Sinclair and Becky Sauerbrunn.
.@Debinha7's debut awaits. Are you ready, KC? pic.twitter.com/1io9cM6JsC
— KC Current (@thekccurrent) March 31, 2023
Podcast
Daniel Sperry from the Kansas City Star and I posted this podcast online earlier in the week. Unfortunately, it was delayed in posting it here at the Kansas City Soccer Journal with the big switchover this week. A good reason to subscribe to all of the podcasts we publish.
We preview the 2023 Kansas City Current home opener. So many additions to the team but also many that will be out for a while. We break down the season-opening loss in North Carolina, the 4-4-2 formation that coach Matt Potter used, and what personnel fit that style. We take a look at how the rookies did and more.
You can find the Kansas City Soccer Journal family of pods covering all the local teams wherever you get your podcasts. Follow Thad @TheBackpost, and Daniel Sperry @sperrydaniel94.
If you like the show, please subscribe, rate, & review!
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Awful start. Dunn is one of my favorites of all time, but ouch.
Well, the first three halves of this season were about as uninspiring as possible. At halftime today, I was feeling exasperated enough write off KC soccer until our teams finally start getting healthy. But then the second half whistle blew and incredibly, the Current were the better team. Yes, the second half scoreline was still 1-2, but that was the result of KC missing some excellent chances and Portland having Smith who literally single handedly broke open the game late. At 12:30 this afternoon, if you’d suggested that KC would be the stronger side moving forward, I would have complimented your unrealistic optimism because through the first 45, it was like watching a JV team go up against the state champs. I don’t know what switch was flipped at halftime, but we saw a completely different squad. Against any lesser opponent, the Current walks away with a victory today. And what felt especially remarkable was that KC turned it around with the same lineup that looked so ineffective earlier. (In fact, much of the host’s momentum seemed to stall once subs were brought in.)
Bottom line, the second half today reinvigorated my enthusiasm for this team.