Match Preview: KC Current at NC Courage

Well, this is different.

Through the entirety of 2024, the Current have given their fans nothing but positive vibes. They have signed exciting players, they have scored goals by the bucketful, they have won one trophy and earned a spot in a final for another, they have raced to the top of the standings and beaten back every challenge kicked their way.

But those good vibes seem to have hit a speedbump. The team is now not only on a league match losing streak, they were pretty effectively dismantled in a 1-4 defeat last time out. To be sure, the Current still took a number of shots (14), but only 4 of those were on target. Washington managed just 7 shots for the match, but 5 were on target and 4 made it past Franch. The Spirit were the picture of efficiency and Kansas City…was not. Plus, then there were the mistakes.

This has been a bit of an unfortunate pattern for this otherwise dominate team. On the few occasions when things haven’t gone well, the culprit seems to be a combination of inefficiency in the attack and mistakes in the back. At the beginning of May, KC headed to Houston and only managed a 1-1 draw against the lowly Dash despite taking 29 shots. Additionally, the only reason the Dash scored at all was an embarrassing mix-up between Franch and Wheeler.

Fast forward to early July and the Current suffered their first loss of the season to Orlando 1-2. Again, KC peppered the opposing goal to the tune of 22 shots and they played more than an entire half up a player. But a rather clumsy challenge from Franch gifted Marta a PK and the Pride the win.

Last weekend, Kansas City came out of the gate looking like the more dangerous team. They had sustained periods of possession and created a handful of quality chances. But then the team inexplicably let Metayer dribble about 80 yards up the field and fire a shot that was barely contested. A few minutes later, Cooper played a perfect pass in to the wrong team and suddenly the Current were looking up at a two-goal deficit.

Early this season, the defense couldn’t stop other teams from scoring off of corner kicks. Now it seems like they simply suffer momentary lapses in judgment and are routinely punished for it.

It also feels noteworthy that the two losses Kansas City has suffered have been at the hands of the two teams currently leading them in the standings. They still have to travel to Orlando and face Washington at home in the closing weeks of this season. Two league matches ago, the Current were in first place, now they trail the Pride by a full six points. This feel-good season could turn sour in a hurry.

In last week’s match preview, we spoke about all the new signings (and departures) that had occurred during the summer transfer window. Well, it seems the team wasn’t finished making moves as they sent GK Jordan Silkowitz and $15,000 to Bay FC for defender Kayla Sharples. They also extended the contracts of Alana Cook (through 2027) and Ellie Wheeler (through 2028). Generally the hope for a club making a number of player transactions is that they’re getting better with each, though there is definitely a TBD feel to these moves at this point. Is Sharples better center back depth than Lauren? Will Jereko and Hildah prove to be stronger attacking options than Lavogez and Spaanstra? Time will tell though the team failed its first test.

So, what version of this team is going to trot out onto the field Sunday in North Carolina? It is true that these two teams met just a few weeks ago in KC with the Current easily topping the Courage 2-0 in the Summer Cup semifinals. KC outshot NC 21-9 with a 5-2 shots on goal advantage. But that was at home and that was with Kansas City riding high having cruised through the first three Summer Cup matches. It’s possible the team’s confidence has been somewhat shaken since then.

There is also the question of what type of lineup Andovoski is going to employ. By allowing four goals, did Franch open the door to Schult getting another start? With Hutton away with the U-20s, who gets the nod in the midfield alongside presumed starters DiBernardo and LaBonta? Will Chawinga set a new league record by scoring in her 7th straight match? After a shaky outing in DC, does the back four change at all (Ball? Rodriguez? Glas?)?

On the other side of the pitch, North Carolina may also be feeling a little short on confidence, especially in the attack. A week ago, they lost in one of the worst ways possible: after 96 minutes of scoreless soccer, their star keeper, Casey Murphy, knocked in an own goal to grant Seattle the W. Not only that, but they managed all of four shots against the Reign the entire night. Counting the loss to KC in the Summer Cup, the team is working on more than 180 minutes of being shutout. On the season, they have notched just 20 total goals, less than half of KC’s 41.

If the Current can storm onto the Cary field and remember how to be the team that terrorizes defenses and snuffs out any counterattacks, it will go a long way towards helping their fans forget the drubbing in DC. If, on the other hand, KC pings most of its shots off target and gives up a few easy goals the other direction, the team’s once secure spot near the top of the table is far from certain.

WHEN: Sunday, September 1 at 1:00 PM (Central Time)

WHERE: WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina

HOW TO WATCH: CBS/Paramount+

Record:

KC Current: 10-5-2 (35 points, 3rd place in NWSL league standings)

North Carolina Courage: 8-1-8 (25 points, 6th place in NWSL league standings)

Last Match:

KC Current: 1-4 defeat away to the Washington Spirit

North Carolina Courage: 0-1 defeat away to the Seattle Reign