Match Preview: Washington Spirit at KC Current

For anyone who has watched the most recent season of Ted Lasso, a recurring subplot is the challenge of filling a stadium for a professional women’s soccer match. Ever since the Longs (and Mahomes) brought an NWSL team back to Kansas City, and especially ever since the opening of CPKC Stadium in 2024, the local community has done an impressive job of showing up for these athletes. Kansas City has been held up as a model of what is possible when there’s synergy between a team and a market, and why other locations (Denver, etc.) are now following KC’s lead in building a stadium for a women’s team.

Officially, the Current have sold out every regular season and postseason match held in CPKC Stadium–that’s 39 games and counting. Of course, an official sellout doesn’t necessarily mean that every seat is filled and, especially this season, there have been plenty of gaps around the venue. And that “synergy”? It has also been tested. After years of seemingly being able to do no wrong, the front office has had some high-profile missteps over the past twelve months that has started to push the limits of some of the fans’ loyalty.

And yet, now we come to the final home match of the regular season and, almost improbably, everything seems to be clicking again. About a month ago, the Current weren’t even in line to make the playoffs, but they are now not only comfortably in, but likely to even be able to host a first-round match. Over their past three games, they’ve outscored their opponents 11-2, and just went on the road and picked up not only their first shutout since July, but also a victory over a team that entered higher in the standings than they were. They are also the healthiest they’ve been at any point in the season, and have allowed Haley Hopkins to develop into a truly dangerous #9 as a perfect complement to all their other attacking pieces.

Not insignificantly, at least for the moment, no one is calling for the termination of Chris Armas as head coach. Stepping into the massive shoes of Vlatko Andonovski was always going to be a daunting task, and it’s not been a smooth season to be sure. But if Armas can somehow guide this team to a deep playoff run, perhaps even to the finals (or to a title!!) he’ll have a whole new level of support among the fans.

But, returning to the topic of attendance, the team has big hopes for this Sunday’s match. Not only are they wanting to sellout the stadium, they want to sell an additional 6500 tickets to the “Current Landing” area just outside the stadium, allowing the team to claim a total attendance of up to 18,000. This would break the women’s soccer attendance record for Kansas City and further justify the planned stadium expansion. More immediately, it would help create a playoff-level environment against a team that has appeared in the past two Championship Matches.

For the second week in a row, the Current will square off against the team directly ahead of them in the table. Last weekend, Kansas City dispatched the Utah Royals, and in doing so replaced them in the top four. This weekend, the Washington Spirit come to town in a match that wouldn’t be shocking to see replayed as a title game several weeks from now. Unlike with Utah, the Current will need help if they are to pass the Spirit in the standings. They sit five points back with just two matches to play. So, with a win on Sunday, KC could close that gap to just two points, but the Current would still need to not only win in Louisville on Nov. 1, but also have Washington lose to the Chicago Stars on Decision Day (unlikely). Still, the Current very much want to hold on to a spot in the top four (and the home playoff game that comes with it) and so winning this weekend is key to that.

Of course, a win will be much more challenging against the Spirit than it has been against several of KC’s recent opponents. At this point in the season, there would appear to be five teams that would be reasonable contenders (Gotham, San Diego, Washington, KC, & Angel City), and then everyone else. San Diego and Angel City in particular are on a tear (Ally Sentnor seems to have found her home), but all five of those teams have made a habit of winning these last several weeks. And it was Washington that prevented Gotham from officially claiming the NWSL Shield last weekend with a 1-0 win over the NJ/NY team.

Earlier in the season, the Washington Spirit completely humbled the Current with a 4-0 win that included a Trinity Rodman goal. That match felt uncompetitive and left KC with a 2-4 record. Not only that, but at that point in the season, the team had scored just five goals and conceded thirteen, a -8 goal differential. Needless to say, it’s been a long road to now get to a point at which the team has a +12 goal differential.

For perhaps the first time this year, the positive vibes are really flowing around this team and this fan base. The stadium is sure to be loud and proud (and bobblin’) and another win could really set the stage for a strong postseason push.

WHEN: Sunday, October 25 at 4:00 PM (Central Time)

WHERE: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, MO

HOW TO WATCH: ESPN

Record:

KC Current: 14-5-9 (47 points, 4th place)

Washington Spirit: 16-4-8 (52 points, 3rd place)

Last Match:

KC Current: 2-0 road win over Utah Royals

Washington Spirit: 1-0 home win over Gotham FC