Match Preview: Chicago Stars at KC Current

There’s some expression about how it’s possible to make stats tell any story. Let’s try that here as we present descriptions of two NWSL teams.

Team 1: There is an NWSL team that is coming off a road win against a playoff-caliber opponent. This team has won two of its past three matches and is starting to reintegrate several players that had spent time on the injury list. It is undefeated at home this season and will be playing four of its next five matches at home, including the upcoming game this Sunday. This team has the two-time defending league MVP, the defending league keeper of the year, a former midfielder of the year, and several national team players. Much of its roster is the same as the team that set numerous league records last season. This team has a game in hand on the top four in the standings, and is actually level on points with the final playoff spot. Additionally, during a recent international break, they won another trophy by soundly defeating some top international competition.

Team 2: There is an NWSL team that has the second-worst goal differential in the 16-team league, and it has already lost to the only team with a worse goal differential. This team has been absolutely embarrassed in four of five road matches this year, including by 0-4 and 0-3 scorelines. This team has not kept a clean sheet in any of its seven games and has trailed in all but one of those, conceding first each time. Despite having a roster with plenty of talent, this team has looked lost for much of the season and is clearly missing some important pieces that departed during the offseason, including at manager. Even though it was one of the preseason favorites, the team has severely underperformed and is at risk of alienating a fanbase with its head-scratching decisions and consistently poor play.

These would seem to be descriptions of two teams heading in completely different directions: in one case, the sky’s the limit! In the other case, stick a fork in them. And yet, of course, these are both descriptions of the Kansas City Current, seven matches into the 2026 regular season. Objectively, at this point the Current are a middle-of-the-pack team, right now sitting outside of the playoffs but just a game below the .500 mark. Subjectively, it is likely that fans’ feelings are all over the map with this team. Clearly, at least as of now, KC is not as good as they were a year ago. But there would probably be fans who still believe they will go on a tear and end up repeating as Shield winners. And, one wouldn’t need to squint too hard to find justifications for that line of thinking. Conversely, there would certainly be fans who see the sky falling around CPKC and are already starting to tune out. Again, it’s easy to see that line of thinking too.

As stated above, the Current do have four of their next five matches at home, including against both the 14th and 16th ranked teams. Their only road match during that stretch is against the suddenly very beatable Angel City (losers of three in a row). Needless to say, this stretch of games, leading up to the World Cup break, could prove very telling in how the team’s fortunes will turn out this year. Winning three, four, or even five of these matches will have them firmly back above the playoff line and have fans’ confidence meters moving in the right direction. On the other hand, should the team drop most of these upcoming games, there will likely be more and more empty seats at CPKC Stadium.

This Sunday’s Mother’s Day match will be the first rematch of the season as the Chicago Stars come to town. These teams squared off in the second game of the year, with Chicago sending some shockwaves around the league when they managed to top the reigning Shield winners. For those that tuned in, that match will be remembered for its cold and blustery elements on the shores of Lake Michigan, as well as for some poor central defending. The Current were beaten on two crosses into the box that led to the Stars’ two tallies.

Chicago is not a good team. They have a -11 goal differential, and have only found the back of the net four times in eight games (so, yes, half of their goals came against the Current). For a Kansas City team with designs on a successful campaign, they should never have lost to this Stars squad. And they absolutely can’t lose to them a second time, especially at home.

In the couple of months since they last met, the Current have gotten healthier–most notably with the return of Chawinga. Meanwhile, the Stars will still be without the services of Mal Swanson. The Current finally shook off their road woes in North Carolina last weekend and likely are feeling some budding confidence as they anticipate a more friendly stretch of games. In other words, the table is set for the Current to finally look like their old selves and cruise to a comfortable victory. Anything less than that and the pessimism surrounding the team will just continue to grow.

WHEN: Sunday, May 10 at 11:25 AM (Central Time)

WHERE: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, MO

HOW TO WATCH: ESPN / YouTube TV

Record:

KC Current: 3-0-4 (9 points, 11th place)

Chicago Stars: 2-0-6 (6 points, 14th place)

Last Match:

KC Current: 2-1 away win at North Carolina Courage

Chicago Stars: 0-2 home loss to the Portland Thorns