Match Preview: KC Current at Racing Louisville

If you pay any attention to sports, you are going to hear a lot of clichés: “it’s a long season,” “it’s not about how you start, but how you finish,” “they’ve got the momentum now,” etc. The thing about clichés, though, is that there is often some truth within them.

A year ago, the Kansas City Current had the most incredible regular season the NWSL had ever seen. But they started to fade just as the playoffs were approaching, losing their penultimate match and losing two of their key pieces (Chawinga and Cooper) to injury. All that regular season succuss didn’t amount to anything when they were bounced by the lowest seed in the opening round of the postseason.

This year began inauspiciously with the team stumbling out of the gate to a 1-3 record. The road has been unkind and the defense has been porous. And yet…the Current suddenly look like one of the teams to beat. They are crushing inferior foes and beating other playoff-bound teams (even on the road). They are the only team in the league with an active win streak longer than two matches, and with a win this weekend will secure a home playoff match for the third year in a row.

Kansas City could finish as high as 3rd with a win and a Washington Spirit loss (unlikely as the Spirit host the Chicago Stars), or as low as 7th, though realistically they are only likely to fall as far as 5th if they were to lose or draw against Louisville and Angel City were to win at home against the Boston Legacy. Basically, take care of business on the road against Racing and host the first round of the playoffs. To even get to the point in which this is the team’s reality is rather remarkable.

Again, this really has been a roller coaster of a season (another cliché alert!). For long stretches, the discussions have been more about everything that is wrong with the team as opposed to what is going well. But here we find ourselves with a four-match winning streak in which the Current have outscored their opponents 13-3 and the only team that stands between the Current and a fifth consecutive victory is a Racing Louisville side that was just humbled to the tune of a 1-6 drubbing by the Denver Summit. (Yes, the same Denver team that KC defeated 4-1 a few weeks ago.) A loss to Racing would very much feel like a letdown at this point.

Speaking of the Louisville team, there is a chance that the Current may be the last team to get to play as an away side in Kentucky. There have been a lot of discussions about the Racing team owner wanting to sell–possibly to a group that would move the squad to Cincinnati. For as much as Kansas Citians may feel some (justified) frustrations about the Current ownership group’s occasional decision making, needless to say, the investments that the Longs (et al) have made into this team are worlds better than what some other owners are putting into their teams.

In 2025, Racing Louisville reached the playoffs for the first time in their existence. That will likely prove to be the only time, at least as a team from the Bluegrass State. On the back of that playoff push, the team’s coach, Bev Yanez, was named NWSL coach of the year (beating out the likes of, ahem, Vlatko Andonovski), but this season has seen a “return to form” for the team. There is not very much investment from the front office and as such, star players like USWNT attacker Emma Sears have been vocal about wanting to play elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the Current are the healthiest and most cohesive they’ve been at any point this season. With the exception of one Lorena mistake (that you will never see her make again), this squad is on a multi-match shutout streak that has them looking closer to their 2025 selves. And in the attack, they once more have an abundance of riches. Debinha, she who just two matches prior had notched a hat trick and who was being honored with a bobblehead, was pushed to the bench last time out because Bethune (the league leader in assists) is fully healthy, and Hopkins has the Midas touch at the #9 spot.

There are no guarantees in sports (one more cliché for good measure), so all this positive momentum could come crashing down this weekend or next. But for now, it seems like this season of concern in Kansas City can be put to rest and fans can get excited about the possibilities of this postseason…after dealing Louisville one final blow.

WHEN: Sunday, November 1 at 4:00 PM (Central Time)

WHERE: Lynn Family Stadium, Louisville, KY

HOW TO WATCH: ESPN (family of networks)

Record:

KC Current: 15-5-9 (50 points, 4th place)

Racing Louisville: 7-3-19 (24 points, 15th place)

Last Match:

KC Current: 2-1 home win over Washington Spirit

Racing Louisville: 1-6 road loss to Denver Summit