Match Preview: Gotham at KC Current

Counting this Saturday’s match against NJ/NY Gotham FC, five of Kansas City’s last seven regular season games have been against the other three teams in line to host in the opening round of the playoffs. The Kansas City Current really stumbled (for the first time all season) to open that stretch, losing three straight (against Orlando, Washington, and North Carolina).

They’ve since rebounded nicely, winning against Utah, drawing away at Orlando, and dismantling Washington. This grueling stretch finally comes to an end when the team hosts Gotham, currently just a single point ahead of KC in the race for homefield advantage.

The Current officially punched their ticket to the postseason (for just the second time in their existence) last weekend with the thorough defeat of the Spirit. With just five regular season games remaining, it now becomes all about seeding.

As a refresher, eight teams make the playoffs with the top four hosting in the quarterfinal round. The two highest remaining seeds host the semifinals before those winners meet in Kansas City for the Championship Match in late November. So again, if KC can climb back up to at least 2nd place in the standings by season’s end, they will be guaranteed to not have to travel at all during the playoffs. And what soccer fan wouldn’t be salivating at the idea of a potential rematch between Orlando and the Current in CPKC Stadium with a title on the line.

But the Current have some work to do before they can start dreaming about that. They remain in 4th place but are just a single point behind Gotham and now just two back of Washington. And fans had to be encouraged by the team’s performance against the same side that had humbled them 1-4 just a few weeks prior.

Not only did the 3-0 win continue a shutout streak that is now at more than three full games (they haven’t conceded since their visit to NC on September 1), but they appear to have rediscovered some of their goal-scoring mojo that had been dormant for a couple months. The three goals scored were the most they’d tallied in a regular season match since a 4-1 win at Portland back in June.

They also got to welcome Nichelle Prince to the goal scoring club, becoming the 18th player (19 if we count Claire Hutton scoring against Tigres during the Summer Cup) this season to register a goal for KC–adding to what was already their record for the greatest number of players to score for one team in an NWSL season.

THAT MICHE TO NICHE COMBO 🤩@nichelleprince7 gets her first goal for #KCBABY to give us the 1-0 lead! pic.twitter.com/8MJa0h8zIi

— KC Current – x (@thekccurrent) September 21, 2024

The other goals were pretty fun too as LaBonta put her boot through a screamer from the top of the box (and added a new entry to her unique group of celebrations).

CELLY QUEEN STRIKES AGAIN 👑@L0momma connects with the back of the net to grab the team's 45th goal of the season 🤯 pic.twitter.com/37I291mSJG

— KC Current – x (@thekccurrent) September 21, 2024

Then Bia and Debinha worked in the buildup to help Chawinga add to her lead atop the Golden Boot race.

BIRTHDAY GOOOALLL 🎂

Golden Boot Leader Temwa scores her 16th goal of the season assisted by @L0momma!@nwsl | #KCBABY pic.twitter.com/9VR63LImIY

— KC Current – x (@thekccurrent) September 21, 2024

If that version of the KC Current takes the field at noon on Saturday, Gotham may be in for a challenge. Of course, the defending NWSL Cup Champions aren’t about to roll over for the upstart Current. Not only did they take the title last season, but they retooled in the offseason by signing basically half of the USWNT. (They also just became the first NWSL team to get to visit the White House–another important milestone as this league grows.)

Gotham have players like Rose Lavelle, Lynn Williams, Crystal Dunn, Midge Purce (torn ACL), Jenna Nighswonger, Emily Sonnett, and Tierna Davidson (also Kelley O’Hara, but she’s injured and just announced her retirement). And besides Williams, they have two other former KC players in Cece Kizer and Cassie Miller.

This Saturday’s match will also likely be the battle of two German national team keepers as Almuth Schult of KC takes on Ann-Katrin Berger of Gotham. Both of these keepers came over from Europe in the middle of this season and have made an impact for their sides. Berger was fresh off helping Chelsea earn more hardware when she replaced Cassie Miller between the posts for NY. She has given up just 12 goals in 17 games since taking over. Meanwhile, after joining KC following the birth of her third child, Schult has conceded just twice in four games, including three shut outs.

Back in April, these teams played to a 1-1 draw in New Jersey. A lot has changed since then with roster overhauls and the ups and downs within the league, but these two teams remain among the best the NWSL has to offer and in fact will meet (at least) one additional time–on October 25th in San Antonio for the Summer Cup Final. A win in that match will award one of these teams a second trophy in the past 12 months. A win on Saturday will see one of these teams into (at worst) third place in the standings and with momentum for the final four matches.

WHEN: Saturday, September 28 at 12:00 PM (Central Time)

WHERE: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, MO

HOW TO WATCH: CBS/Paramount+

Record:

KC Current: 12-6-3 (42 points, 4th place in NWSL league standings)

NJ/NY Gotham FC: 13-4-4 (43 points, 3rd place in NWSL league standings)

Last Match:

KC Current: 3-0 home win to the Washington Spirit

NJ/NY Gotham FC: 1-0 home win to the Utah Royals