KC Current
Match Preview: KC Current at Chicago (Red) Stars
Final fixture before playoffs. The Current look to keep their momentum going in Chicago and exact revenge for an early season disappointment.
Two hundred and thirty-two days ago, the Kansas City Current kicked off their fourth season in existence with a lot of optimism, but also a lot of uncertainty. They were coming off a season in which they finished near the bottom of the standings and missed the playoffs. Would they be able to rebound and make a push towards a title? They were opening a new stadium, the first ever for a women’s professional sports team. Would fans show up or would this infrastructure prove the doubters correct–that women’s sports can’t compete in a crowded marketplace and don’t merit this type of investment? They overhauled their roster. Would the departed players be missed and would the incoming athletes validate their signings?
Well, the 2024 regular season comes to an end on Sunday and by just about any measurement, this season has been a resounding success for the club and its fans. Not only did the team bounce back from a disappointing 2023 and earn a spot in the postseason, but they could also finish as high as second (and no worse than fourth) and have guaranteed themselves a home playoff game for the first time ever.
IT’S #TEALTIME IN TEAL TOWN ⏰
First-ever @NWSL playoff match at @cpkcstadium on Nov. 9 at 11AM! 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/LUTPFNVBsK
— KC Current – x (@thekccurrent) October 21, 2024
Not only did CPKC Stadium prove worth the investment, but it has become a model for others to follow. Kansas Citians sold out every home regular season match and were rewarded with KC being named host of the Championship Match in a few weeks.
Nobody shows up like #KCBABY
Full house at @cpkcstadium all season long 🗣 pic.twitter.com/3xS6KkQDeU
— KC Current – x (@thekccurrent) October 28, 2024
And not only did the new signings prove themselves, but they also helped carry this team to new heights. Rookies Ellie Wheeler, Claire Hutton, and Alex Pfeiffer (until she was injured) have all been regular contributors, scoring goals, holding down the defense, and even leading the team (Hutton) in minutes played for much of the season. Midseason signings Alana Cook, Kayla Sharples, and Almuth Schult have helped to transform a defensive effort that has shifted from a liability to a strength. And international signings (or trades) Nichelle Prince, Bia Zaneratto, and Temwa Chawinga have added a scoring punch that is on the verge of establishing a new league record for most goals in a single season. Chawinga, specifically, has positioned herself to be the face of the league as she’s destroyed multiple scoring records and will soon (almost certainly) be named MVP.
An icon in the game & irl 👑
Temwa Chawinga was named to #FC25 Team of the Week ✨@EASPORTSFC | #KCBABY pic.twitter.com/4YuvLm9guP
— KC Current – x (@thekccurrent) October 24, 2024
That all leads to this Sunday, when the Current will travel to the Windy City and take on a Chicago team that has secured a playoff spot but could finish anywhere from 6th through 8th in the final standings. They are coming off back-to-back losses and three losses in the last four games played. They also have seven players (Rosella Ayane, Julia Grosso, Natalia Kuikka, Ludmila, Alyssa Naeher, Sydney Schneider, and Mallory Swanson) who were called up to their respective national teams over the last couple weeks, so it remains to be seen how much they’ll be relied upon in the resumption of the regular season.
Finally, Ludmila definitely won’t be suiting up for the fixture against the Current as she is serving a multi-match suspension from a situation between her and Washington Spirit forward Rosemonde Kouassi during their last match.
With all that said, the Red Stars (who will, for some reason, drop the “Red” from their name starting next year and just be the Chicago Stars FC) remain a dangerous team who played KC to a draw when these teams last met in June. Swanson opened the scoring early before Bia and Chawinga both scored shortly after halftime. That set the stage for one of the Current’s true Achille’s heels over the first half of the season, defending corner kicks. In the 90th minute, Swanson delivered a perfect ball from the corner spot to Sam Staab who was able to nod it past Franch.
Kansas City has gotten much better at defending corners over the past few months. In fact, they’ve gotten much better at defending, period, over that time. In the eight games since September 1st, KC has conceded just twice–this includes the championship match of the Summer Cup which the Current won over Gotham last weekend.
Becoming stingier on defense has meant that KC’s attack hasn’t needed to put up the same number of goals they did early on. Over the same time frame during which they’ve conceded just twice, the team has scored 14 goals, good for an average of 1.75 goals per match. That’s still a solid scoring rate, but a far cry from the pace the Current were at over the initial couple months of the season. Regardless, the wins keep coming and the team can, at the very least, count on a Chawinga goal about once per match. And a week from now, they’ll begin their postseason march toward (hopefully) a third trophy this year. It’s even possible that they’ll welcome Chicago to CPKC as their first-round opponent.
First things first though, humbling the Red Stars on their home soil and establishing a new scoring record in the process.
In a mostly unrelated note, the KC Current ownership group is reported to have met with the WNBA to potentially bring an expansion basketball team to KC.
As WNBA expansion continues, ownership of the NWSL's KC Current — which includes Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittany — has met with the WNBA and is in contention to bring the league's next franchise to Kansas City. Mahomes also co-owns the KC Royals and Sporting KC. pic.twitter.com/9kd2VXzWR3
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 30, 2024
WHEN: Sunday, November 3 at 2:00 PM (Central Time)
WHERE: SeatGeek Stadium, Bridgeview, IL
HOW TO WATCH: ESPN/ESPN+
Record:
KC Current: 15-7-3 (52 points, 4th place in NWSL league standings)
Chicago Red Stars: 10-2-13 (32 points, 6th place in NWSL league standings)
Last Match:
KC Current: (regular season) 4-1 home win to San Diego Wave
Chicago Red Stars: 0-2 loss away to Washington Spirit