Match Preview: KC Current at Utah Royals

So, here’s a question: who has been the Kansas City Current’s MVP this season? Undoubtedly, Temwa Chawinga is still the team’s best player, but has she been its most valuable in 2026? There’s an argument to be made that the title of MVP actually should go to Haley Hopkins.

To begin with, as much as someone like Izzy Rodriguez has been her usual fantastic self, the defense as a whole has had too many lapses (has conceded too many goals) for someone on the backline to be given that award. Similarly, there has just not been enough consistency in the middle of the pitch for a midfielder to be recognized. That means the team MVP will almost certainly be an attacker, one of these five players: Chawinga, Debinha, Michelle Cooper, Croix Bethune, or Haley Hopkins.

Each of those athletes have made important contributions to the team this season. Chawinga, of course, is the two-time reigning MVP, not just of the Current, but of the entire NWSL. She does once again lead the team in goals scored (12), but she has only played in 16 of the 27 games this season. Certainly, were it not for some health issues and international absences, this wouldn’t even be a discussion. But is the team’s most valuable player someone who has appeared in just more than half of their games?

Croix Bethune would also present a compelling case for team MVP as she has double the number of assists (10) as anyone else on the team (Cooper is next with five). Unfortunately for her and the team, she has been absent for the past several matches, just as the team seems to have been rounding into form. Call it recency bias, but when she’s not on the pitch as her teammates are tallying nine times in two games, that leaves an impression.

Both Debinha and Cooper have had some nice moments recently: Debinha netting a hat trick and becoming the league’s all-time leading scorer, and Cooper assisting on the game-tying goal against Spain with the national team this week. In a way, though, both players’ seasons would probably be described as more “solid” than “noteworthy”. Neither attacker are in the top couple of goal scorers on the season and they have both also missed several games with injuries.

And then we get to Hopkins. Interestingly, she would have the lowest profile of that group of players–the only one never to have played for her national team; really the only one who isn’t unquestionably a starter. Entering the season, expectations for Hopkins likely had her as a solid rotational piece, much like last season. But, unlikely last season, A) there was no Bia, and B) the team dealt with a lot of injuries along the front line. That meant that Hopkins is one of only two players to appear in all 27 league games. She also sits second in goals scored (9, just three behind Chawinga), and third in assists (4). She has played across the frontline, wherever she is needed, and always plays with an admirable tenacity and hustle.

While she may not have the absolute game-changing ability of Temwa or some of the breath-taking ball skills of Croix or Debinha, Hopkins has been the most consistent attacker for the team this season on a team that builds through their attack.

What will be interesting to see is, when everyone is finally healthy again, how does Coach Armas get all these influential players onto the field? That question could be answered as soon as this Saturday evening when the Current head west to do battle with the team just ahead of them in the standings in a pivotal late-season match.

If the season ended today, the 4th seed Utah Royals would host the 5th seed KC Current. Well, on Saturday, the Royals will host the Current with one team looking to create a gap and the other team looking to leapfrog. With just two points separating the teams, a KC victory would mean they would assume a coveted top-four spot, while a Utah win would open up a five-point window with just two games remaining.

This match comes on the heels of a brief international break which saw Michelle Cooper join the USA for a pair of friendlies against world #1 Spain (a loss and a draw). That break could also mean that Bethune will have had enough recovery time to start working back into the lineup. If that’s the case, and if the Current can continue to finish like they were over the previous two matches, the Royals could be in for a tough go of it.

The last time these two teams squared off was actually the opening game of the season, a game in which the Current came from behind (a theme for this season) and earned a 2-1 home win back on March 14. Over seven months have passed since then, and the race to the post season is coming down the final stretch.

WHEN: Saturday, October 17 at 5:30 PM (Central Time)

WHERE: America First Field, Sandy, Utah

HOW TO WATCH: ion / 38 the Spot

Record:

KC Current: 13-5-9 (44 points, 5th place)

Utah Royals: 14-4-9 (46 points, 4th place)

Last Match:

KC Current: 5-1 home win over Bay FC

Utah Royals: 1-1 road draw at Racing Louisville