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KC Current at Utah Royals: the Ally Sentnor game preview

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6 months ago

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Thad Bell

Apologies for beginning this discussion by referencing the wrong sport, but eleven years ago in the midst of a run to the World Series, Kansas City pitcher Jeremy Guthrie wore a certain shirt to a press conference after defeating the Baltimore Orioles.

This feels relevant at the moment as a KC team is about to visit a Royals team that isn’t having a particularly regal season. The Utah version of the Royals is mired in last place in the NWSL standings, having earned just a single victory through the first 14 matches of 2025. Compare that to the first place (10 points clear of second) Kansas City Current, and the contrast is stark.

Despite the disparity in the standings, the list of connections between the NWSL teams in Utah and KC is lengthy. A league original, FCKC packed up shop and relocated to Salt Lake after the 2017 season. That team featured Lo LaBonta among many others.

Three years later, the first iteration of the Utah Royals folded and, while the new team in Kansas City was officially an expansion team, many of the former Royals made the trek to KC. And as if that wasn’t enough of a link between these two teams, when Utah was award an expansion side a few years ago, one of the first players they acquired was Kate Del Fava. In fact, in January of 2024, we published an Ode to some of the KC fan favorites who were on the move during that offseason. We highlighted three: Del Fava, Cece Kizer, and Alex Loera. All three of those players are now based in Utah.

Del Fava in particular has become a force along the backline for the Royals. She’s played among the most minutes in the team’s short history and helped preserve a massive road point in Orlando last weekend with this goal line save.

KATE DEL FAVA'S SAVE KEEPS THE GAME LEVEL 😱

— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) 2025-08-04T00:46:36.345Z

Of course, though, any discussion of the connections between the Utah Royals and the Kansas City Current wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the seismic trade that went down last Friday afternoon. Ally Sentnor was Utah’s star player. She was the first pick in the 2024 draft (the final ever NWSL draft), was the young female player of the year, and is a burgeoning force on the USWNT. And she was dealt (reports are that she requested the trade) to Kansas City in exchange for $600,000.

To top it all off, in a scheduling quirk that is either poetic or cruel, Sentnor’s first match as an official member of the Current will not only be against the Royals, but will be back in Sandy, Utah. Many observers were already expecting this worst vs. first game to be a bit of a bloodbath, but imagine if Sentnor were to not just play but also score against her old side…

Jeremy Guthrie might have to slip on a new tee: These Royals Ain’t Current.

With all that said, there are no guarantees in the sport of soccer, especially in a parity-heavy league like the NWSL. In week six of this season, the first place Current traveled to the last place Courage only to suffer their first defeat. Additionally, despite the loss of their most high-profile player, the Royals may be entering this week’s match with some confidence after traveling to Orlando and earning a draw against the defending champions. Mina Tanaka ripped an absolute banger from distance and Utah carried that 1-0 until late in the second half.

However, as much as the last place Royals earning a point on the road against the second place Pride might have been a surprise, if they earn any sort of result against the visiting Current, that would be a much bigger shock. Many league commentators are describing Kansas City as “inevitable” at this point. Indeed, while it may not have been the team’s most aesthetically pleasing display in Louisville last weekend (knocking the rust off from a six-week break), KC did what KC does by scoring multiple goals, earning a shutout, and walking away with all three points.

Laurel Ivory did a commendable job stepping into goal for the absent Lorena last weekend, especially when she made a crucial double save at the end of the first half to keep it scoreless. It’s likely, though, that Lorena will reassume her place between the posts after helping Brazil to (another) Copa América Femenina title last weekend.

The match against Racing also saw just the second start for Flora Marta Lacho as Debinha is working back into full match fitness and Vanessa DiBernardo announced she’ll miss the rest of the season expecting the birth of her first child. And while the front three of Bia, Chawinga, and Cooper are pretty locked in, not to mention the nice depth behind them with players like Hopkins, Long, and Prince, that attacking midfield spot could be one that Sentnor slots into.

Champagne problems for Vlatko as he is tasked with finding playing time for an excess of uber-talented players. Needless to say, though, many eyes will be on this match to see if one of the game’s young superstars makes her debut for her new team against her old team.

WHEN: Friday, August 8 at 9:00 PM (Central Time)

WHERE: America First Field, Sandy, UT

HOW TO WATCH: Prime Video

Record:

KC Current: 12-0-2 (36 points, 1st place)

Utah Royals: 1-3-10 (6 points, 14th place)

Last Match:

KC Current: 2-0 road win versus Racing Louisville

Utah Royals: 1-1 road draw versus Orlando Pride

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ar_jhawk

I finally saw a national writer (Yahoo maybe?) say what we all know is true – The Current are just FCKC back after a stopover in Utah. Put the two stars on the jersey (and add a third this year).

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Wet Water

3+ games up, 12 games left, what a chance for the first shield for a KC NWSL team and the first shield for a KC first division outdoor team since 2000. Every game matters.

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