Match Preview: Bay FC at KC Current

Here’s an incredible stat to remember from last season: in the summer of 2025, the Kansas City Current had a streak of 870 minutes without conceding a goal. That’s half an hour away from ten full match’s worth of gametime. By comparison, in 26 games so far this year, they’ve shutout the opposition only four times, and not once since July 3rd.

There are a lot of ways in which the 2026 version of the KC Current aren’t living up to the 2025 iteration, but defensively might be the most dramatic. While there are still four matches to play this regular season, last year the regular season only consisted of 26 total matches making this a tidy moment for comparison. In the attack, the differences are fairly subtle: 49 goals scored last year compared with 43 so far this year. However, at the other end of the pitch, we see a very different story. In all 26 games last season, the Current gave up just 13 goals total. Through the same number of games this season, the team has conceded 37 times.

Most likely, the 2025 season was an outlier and could never be repeated. However, the fall from those heights has been precipitous. Offensively, the Current are sitting at a -6 in a year-over-year comparison. Defensively, though, the team is dwelling in the -24 territory compared to their performance last year. It could be argued that this is just a return to the mean–after all, the Current have still scored more goals than they’ve given up this year. But with a defensive unit that consists of many of the same pieces as it did a year ago, hopes would have been for results more similar to 2025’s.

One of the key pieces of the 2025 defensive unit that did depart is making her first trip back to Kansas City since that Shield-winning season: Claire Hutton. This Saturday evening, the Current welcome Bay FC to town in a match that will feature fan favorites on both sides of the ball. Two of the most shocking transactions of the offseason happened when first Alex Pfeiffer and then Claire Hutton departed KC to join the young Bay team. The California side also features former Teal keeper Jordan Silkowitz who, along with Hutton, (and Michelle Cooper) were just called up to the next USWNT camp.

Sometimes trades are said to have worked out for both teams. In the case of Claire (and Alex) moving to Bay from KC, it feels rather like nobody really benefited from the moves. It’s possible that Pfieffer is getting more playing time than she would have had she stayed in KC, though with all the injuries that the Current have dealt with this season, she likely would have had her chances. Claire, though, was already a star and so shifting to San Jose didn’t really afford her any new or better opportunities. Bay is mired in a season to forget, having already been eliminated from the playoffs with twice as many losses as wins.

And on the Kansas City side, it’s hard to imagine the team is in any way better off without Hutton or Pfeiffer. Again, Alex could have, at the very least, provided key attacking depth this season. And we’ve already discussed how dramatically different the Current are without the presence of Hutton at the defensive midfield role. Yes, it is possible that without shipping Claire to Bay the team wouldn’t have had the funds to sign Croix Bethune from the Washington Spirit. Both players are incredible talents and absolutely make the team they’re a part of better. But, well, it’s hard to argue with the 2025 results of the KC Current with Claire Hutton in the lineup.

It is true that the last time out, the Current did put forth one of their better efforts this season–a 4-1 victory over the surging Denver Summit. One of the Achilles’ heels for the team this season has been an inability to finish their chances. That wasn’t true for Haley Hopkins last Saturday as she produced a hat trick, with each goal coming in very different circumstances. If she and the rest of the team can continue to find the back of the net like that, suddenly the possibilities for the rest of this season seem much brighter.

First things first, though, welcoming back old friends with a reminder of all they walked away from…including the passionate support from the Current faithful at CPKC Stadium.

WHEN: Saturday, October 3 at 5:30 PM (Central Time)

WHERE: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, MO

HOW TO WATCH: ion / 38 the Spot

Record:

KC Current: 12-5-9 (41 points, 7th place)

Bay FC: 7-5-14 (26 points, 13th place)

Last Match:

KC Current: 4-1 home win over Denver Summit

Bay FC: 1-3 home defeat to Orlando City