Match Preview: Seattle Reign at KC Current

Glancing at the Current’s recent results, there is one obvious outlier: the July 29th match hosting Racing Louisville. That game ended 5-1 to KC. It was, in a nutshell, everything this team was expected to be able to do this season. The Current played strong defense (they only conceded thanks to a late PK call), and they scored at will. Honestly, they could have had several more tallies…and that is at the heart of one of the main issues for this team.

The Current lead all of the NWSL in xG (expected goals) this season. They “should have” scored 39 times. And yet they have scored only 31. That’s still not a bad total, but it is only 4th in the league and is a -8 compared to their xG. It also is problematic because their defense (they could really use a national team-level defensive midfielder!) is much worse than they were last season.

This would suggest the team is significantly underperforming on the offensive end. Comparing Kansas City’s stats to, say, Portland and one sees an entirely different story. Portland’s xG is 28.7 but they’ve score 34 goals. The argument could be made that they should be creating more chances, but at least they’re finishing the chances they do create–and then some.

Another way to look at KC’s finishing struggles would be the stat “big chances missed”. For the Current, that number is 31. The team has literally missed as many big chances as they’ve scored total goals. If they had converted on all of those chances (unrealistic, but still) their season goal total would be at 62 and they would almost certainly be sitting in first place.

One other quick note that emerges from looking at season stats would be about the defensive efforts. Kansas City has an “xG conceded” of 28.6. They have actually conceded 28 goals. So, they are basically giving up the number of goals they would be expected to based on the chances they’ve allowed. As a reminder, the Current conceded 13 goals total in 2025. This downgrade feels surprising when considering the defense experienced the smallest turnover since last season. Basically, only Hailie Mace departed from the backline…except of course the USWNT stud Hutton also left and her role in the midfield directly affected the defense.

So again, besides that one match against Louisville, the Current have lost or drawn every other match since early July. They are consistently creating chances, they just aren’t finishing them. Amelia White’s goal 22 seconds into the match in New Jersey last weekend wasn’t just significant because it tied the fastest ever league goal (a record she now shares with Cooper), but because she actually converted the chance. The Current would go on to have several other chances (Hopkins, Debinha, Bethune, and White herself all found themselves in good spots), but couldn’t again hit the net. *Not for nothing, one of the Current’s last quality chances was thwarted when Hocking decided to body check an opponent behind the play.

These whiffs would haunt the team when Gotham notched a pair of goals and walked away with a 2-1 win. As the announcers said during that broadcast last Friday, that result likely put the nail in the coffin of KC’s hopes to repeat as Shield winners.

This all brings us to an important match this Saturday afternoon when the Seattle Reign come the Kansas City. Not only is this a clash of the two teams currently occupying the final two playoff spots, it’s a home game in which Kansas City’s lineup could start to reintegrate several key pieces. Michelle Cooper did come off the bench last week for her first minutes in several weeks, but she could be in line for a lot more playing time, perhaps even a start. Lorena has been available on the bench the last two matches, but she could finally be ready to resume her usual spot in goal. And finally Chawinga, fresh off her Golden Boot performance in the WAFCON (leading her team to a second place finish and a World Cup berth) could be back in the lineup. It’s not unusual for players returning from international duty to be given a little extra time off, but with Kansas City at home and needing a win, don’t be surprised to see the MVP back in teal.

Meanwhile, the Current’s opponent, Seattle, will be coming in on little rest. They played, and lost, in Louisville on Wednesday this week. However, prior to that match, they’d been in strong form winning three and tying once over their previous four matches. The Reign have also already dismantled KC this year when they won 3-0 against the visiting Current back in March. A Seattle win on Saturday draws them level with Kansas City in the standings…with a game in hand.

A lot has been made about how different the 2026 version of the Current is compared to the 2025 version. At this point a year ago, Kansas City had just about secured the Shield as they ran away from the field. This year’s team is having to fight to just stay within the playoff picture. And yet, when it’s all clicking they can still look like a top-notch team. The return of some stars will likely help for the stretch run, as will figuring out how to finish their chances.

WHEN: Saturday, August 22 at 5:30 PM (Central Time)

WHERE: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, MO

HOW TO WATCH: ion / 38 the Spot

Record:

KC Current: 9-3-8 (30 points, 7th place)

Seattle Reign: 8-3-8 (27 points, 8th place)

Last Match:

KC Current: 1-2 road loss to Gotham FC

Seattle Reign: 1-2 road loss to Racing Louisville