The KC Current Shatter More NWSL Records over Gotham FC

The Kansas City Current continued their spree of, essentially meaningless, games on Saturday. This time, they welcomed NJ/NY Gotham FC to town, in a game that meant a ton to Gotham. The KC Current rolled out a much-improved lineup for their quality opponent. They were still without Temwa Chawinga, Kayla Sharpes and Hailie Mace in the starting lineup, but the trio made the bench after missing the most recent game(s) with injuries.

Gotham, of course, rolled out a first-choice lineup, including Esther, who is chasing Chawinga for the Golden Boot. The East Coast club entered the match in fourth, with a chance to move back into third place if results went their way after the Orlando Pride passed them on Friday night.

The game got off to a cagey, physical start, and the continued throughout the match. Both teams were challenging for every ball, and each team had some half chances early that ended without much danger for either goalkeeper. In the 16th minute, after Bia Zanerrato had been getting pounded, grabbed and pulled by every Gotham player in sight, referee Nabil Bensalah finally called a foul, but at the worst time, when Debinha was on a breakaway. Advantage ruined, and the KC Current’s best chance of the opening chunk of the game was quelled by the ref.

In the 22nd minute, Claire Hutton did a beautiful turn on Jaelin Howell only for Howell to grab her and stop her attacking movement. Despite it being the textbook definition of a yellow card, grabbing a player without making a play on the ball, a common foul was called.

Textbook definition of a yellow for me. Howell is beat and grabs Hutton who is making her look silly with that turn. Common foul given. #KCBaby #NWSL

— Chad Smith (@chadcsmith.bsky.social) 2025-10-11T21:29:15.984Z

In the 26th minute, there was a scary moment for Michelle Cooper. After having the ball stolen off her, she tripped and looked to take a knee to the head. After a brief delay and check from the training staff, Cooper was thankfully able to continue. After that, Cooper started to really get hacked. She suffered three or four fouls over just a few minutes and the ref had to warn Gotham the next player to foul her would get a yellow.

In the 33rd minute, despite some balls getting to the goalkeepers, the first official shot of the game was registered by Kansas City. A dangerous sequence saw the ball pinging all around Gotham’s box before it was laid off for Izzy Rodriguez. She tested the keeper, forcing Shelby Hogan to push the ball over the bar for a corner.

The KC Current would take advantage. On a recycled ball off the initial corner, the ball came back out to Izzy, who had taken the corner, and she floated a cross to the head of Bia who directed into the corner of the net to give Kansas City the 1-0 lead!

Izzy to Bia and it's 1-0!! #KCBaby #NWSL

— KC Soccer Journal (@kcsoccerjournal.bsky.social) 2025-10-11T21:40:59.361Z

In the 40th minute, the game’s first yellow came out, and to no surprise it was a foul committed against Cooper. Howell, who should have already been on a yellow, violently crashed into Cooper really earning that card.

Howell gets what should be her 2nd yellow, but is the game's first. Pretty violent. #KCBaby #NWSL

— Chad Smith (@chadcsmith.bsky.social) 2025-10-11T21:46:11.186Z

The last few minutes of the half had several half chances for the Current. A Cooper cross found Izzy streaking through the box, but her contact wasn’t flush, and the chance didn’t fully test the keeper. A bit later Cooper got a ball up the right side and took a shot of her own that went just wide of the far post. Ultimately, the game would go into halftime with KC up 1-0 over Gotham.

To start the second half, the Kansas City Current were the first to go to their bench. They brought on Mace and Chawinga, who were returning from injury. They replaced Wheeler and Debinha respectively.

It wouldn’t take long for the subs to make an impact. Bia did well to receive a ball heading into the box, bodying off her defender. Then she laid off a perfectly weighted through ball to Chawinga who slipped the ball past the keeper to make it 2-0! She extended her Golden Boot lead over her opponent on the day, Esther.

In the 62nd minute, KC got their first yellow when Hutton was given a card for a challenge on Howell. In the 67th minute, the KC Current made a few more subs. They brought on Nichelle Prince and Kayla Sharples for Cooper and Robinson. This was Sharples first game back, after missing the last match and breaking her iron woman streak.

Not long after the subs, the game had another scary moment went Esther, Lorena and Elizabeth Ball all collided in the box. Lorena won the ball but Esther got the worst of it with a bloody nose that led to her subbing out of the game. She was replaced by Katie Stengel and with her sub, almost half of all the Gotham goals on the season left the pitch. Esther has 13 of Gotham’s 31 goals. In the 81st minute, KC made their last sub. Rocky Rodriguez entered the game for Hutton, the only player for KC on a yellow.

There was an interesting sequence in the 81st minute. Gotham earned a set piece and sent the ball into the box. Lorena rose up to challenge and collided with Emily Sonnett. Lorena appeared to at least get some of the ball and some of Sonnett. After the trainers checked Sonnett, she was calling the ref over to have a conversation, clearly wanting a penalty. There had been a long delay, so the VAR had clearly had enough time to review and hadn’t seen anything in it. The ref was having none of it from Emily. After Sonnett was waived back onto the field after receiving on field treatment, she immediately fouled Temwa and picked up a yellow of her own.

Lorena and Sonnett come together in the box. Sonnett calling the ref over, but it looks like Lorena gets at least some of the ball. Immediately after Sonnett is in the book for her challenge on Temwa. Probably frustration. #KCBaby #NWSL

— Chad Smith (@chadcsmith.bsky.social) 2025-10-11T22:48:02.534Z

After this sequence, KC were given a sixth sub since Esther was taken off as a concussion sub earlier. Bailey Feist replaced Sentnor.

In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Kansas City faced their most dangerous moment of the night. Stengel blasted a shot off the backside of Sharples, and it pinged off the post before Lorena could gather it.

In the end, the KC Current extend their unbeaten run to 17 games, including 15 (!!) wins. It’s their 20th win of the season, extending their own NWSL record. It also raised them up to 62 points, the most ever in NWSL history. Lorena also broke the NWSL shutout record, with 14.

Up next for KC is a trip to Texas to face the Houston Dash on October 18th at 6:30PM central time before the league takes a break for international duty.