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KC Current remain winless in 2023, losing to the Chicago Red Stars 4-2

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3 years ago

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After a week off due to the international break, the Kansas City Current traveled to Chicago to face the Red Stars, hoping to get their first win of the 2023 season. Both the Chicago Red Stars and the Current came into the game without points, two of the three teams at the bottom of the standings (Orlando being the other one).

The week off did not do anything to help Kansas City’s injury woes as the Current again entered another game with a lengthy injury report, missing many key players, including adding defender Alex Loera who injured her right foot this past week. The positive was the upgrade of Debinha and Vanessa DiBenardo, both coming off the injury list and making their first starts for 2023 and for the Current. DiBenardo made her Kansas City Current debut. Last game, on April 1st, Debinha made her debut against the Portland Thorns FC.

The game looked to start off in Kansas City’s favor as forward Michelle Cooper stole the ball from a Chicago defender in the 3′ minute and sprinted towards the goal, breaking away from her defenders. Unfortunately, her shot in the 4′ minute would go wide, missing a tremendous opportunity for the Current to take the lead early in the game. It was the Red Stars, though, who would capitalize from the missed opportunity, scoring their first goal of four for the evening.

Yes, the Current again conceded 4 goals, their second game in a row, with a total of 9 conceded so far for the season.

Chicago Goals

4′ – forward Ella Stevens, goal from center of the box

49′ – forward Penelope Hocking, left-footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner.

60′ – Own goal, goalkeeper Adrianna Franch. Shot from forward Cheyna Matthews, but since it deflected off Franch, it was credited as an own goal.

67′ – forward Penelope Hocking, right-footed shot from the left side of the box to the bottom right corner

Not all doom and gloom, though

Despite the score, it was not all doom and gloom for Kansas City. The Current showed potential of the team they could be, much like last game. And after conceding 4 goals, down 0-4 until the 74th minute, the Current were able to move more in the attacking third, controlling the tempo and setting up more opportunities. Those opportunities would lead to 2 goals for the Current. Debinha scored her first goal as a KC Current player in the 74′ minute, assisted by Mimmi Larsson, and Larsson, who came in as a sub for DiBenardo in the 62′, also scored her first as a Current player in the closing minutes of the match.

Current remain winless

Another loss for the Current, the third of the season, keeps them at the bottom of the standings. The injury list has greatly affected the start of 2023. Should more players be upgraded week-by-week, and head coach Matt Potter did say in the post-game media conference that they should get 3 more players back in the coming weeks (he did not say who or when exactly), things could start to turn around for the team.

The Current begin Challenge Cup play on Wednesday at the Houston Dash at 6:30pm, and continue the 2023 season at home next Sunday, April 23 against the Orlando Pride at Children’s Mercy Park at 4pm.

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SportingXK

It’s hard to be a KC soccer fan right now. I still think the Current can (will??) turn their season around, but going down 0-4 to a previously winless team who just lost their star striker does not inspire confidence. KC’s defense seems especially worrisome. They need to get Ball back ASAP (and Loera, Scott, and Glas will also help). It felt like Chicago had exactly four chances and they cashed in on all four of them. Defense/goalkeeping is supposed to be able to snuff out at least some of an opposition’s attacking opportunities. KC did not do that at all last night. Not that I’m placing blame on Franch’s shoulders, but she was routinely good for at least one remarkable save per match last season. I can’t recall her making any impressive stops this year (while allowing 9 goals in three games). But even more troubling was the play of the team’s centerback(s). Outpaced, poor decision making, ineffective clearances, keeping players onside…
As has been noted many times, the Current were busy this off season overhauling their roster and adding a lot of big names to the team. The thing, though, was that nearly all of that movement was in the attacking half of the field. While we’ve yet to see Glas, the argument could easily be made that KC got weaker in defense. Kristen Edmonds’s department left a hole and so far it doesn’t seem like Potter has figured out how to fill it.

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Steve Nelson

At least the Current know a lost cause after only 4 games. Vermes still approves of the crap job Vermes is doing, so he will be here a while longer.

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