Semifinal Preview: KC Current at Orlando Pride

It was inevitable. By the time July 6 rolled around, and the Orlando Pride made a trip to CPKC Stadium to take on the Kansas City Current, these two teams had established themselves as the class of the NWSL. They were both undefeated and level on points–35 apiece. They were both leaning on newly acquired African strikers (Chawinga and Banda) who were battling atop the Golden Boot race. They both had veteran Brazilian presences in the attack (Marta and Debinha) and each team had risen from the bottom half of the table in 2023 and were establishing new league records for undefeated streaks.

That midsummer battle was emotional, fraught and memorable. There was a red card (perhaps should have been a second), a penalty kick, desperate attacking and organized defending. By the time the final whistle blew, the Pride were racing across the pitch, shouting in joy–a celebration more worthy of a cup final than a middle-of-the-season battle in the heat of the heartland. That 2-1 win for the visitors remains the only time a team other than the Current have won in CPKC Stadium. And Orlando is the single opponent that the Current haven’t defeated in 2024 (counting the win over Gotham in the Summer Cup final).

From that warm evening in the middle of the summer, it was inevitable that the Current and the Pride would square off with everything on the line in the NWSL playoffs. Perhaps meeting in the final would have felt even more fitting, but now Kansas City will attempt to do what no team has managed this year, beat Orlando on their home soil. In fact, since April, KC is the only team to take even a point off of Orlando at home and they are the only team to hold the Pride scoreless at home the entire year.

These accomplishments occurred in mid-September when the teams played to a 0-0 draw in Orlando–one of only two times since Labor Day that KC hasn’t won in any competition. Counting the Summer Cup final and the first round of the playoffs, KC is on a six-match winning streak; the longest such streak in club history. All told, the Current are unbeaten in 10 straight and have only conceded thrice in those ten matches. Perhaps not coincidentally, that streak neatly aligns with the 11 straight matches that Almuth Schult has started in goal with the also newly acquired center back pairing of Alana Cook and Kayla Sharples just ahead of her on the field.

Three goals allowed in ten games is pretty good, but it would be wrong to call this team simply defensive minded. Perhaps one of the most remarkable stats in a season full of remarkable stats is the fact that Temwa Chawinga has scored in 14 of her last 15 league matches played (she sat out the final regular season fixture in Chicago). The only league game since June that she didn’t score in? September 13 in Orlando.

Chawinga leads an attack that can put up goals in bunches, as reflected in their league record 57 goals scored and record 18 different goal scorers (19 if you add in the tally that Hutton recorded in a Summer Cup match). During the match a couple weeks ago when Chawinga sat out, Prince, Cooper, and Debinha all scored within a ten-minute stretch to put the game away.

And yet it would be inaccurate to suggest anything other than the idea that the attack absolutely flows through the team’s Malawian international. She scores in nearly every match she plays, and she’s scored against every team in the league (the first player to ever do so in the 10+ team league). And she is likely going to be recognized for those efforts. She leads a group of five Current players/coaches to be nominated for end of the season awards: Chawinga (MVP), Hutton (Rookie of the Year), LaBonta (Midfielder of the Year), DiBernardo (Midfielder of the Year), and Andonovski (Coach of the Year).

Of course the Shield-winning Orlando Pride have their own group of nominees: Banda (MVP), Marta (MVP), Sams (Defender of the Year), Strom (Defender of the Year), Moorhouse (Goalkeeper of the Year), Marta (Midfielder of the Year), and Hines (Coach of the Year). As evidenced by this list, Orlando is both good at scoring and good at defending.

KC and Orlando enter this match tied with a best-in-the-league +26 goal differential–however each team arrived at this number by a different path. Kansas City scored 57 but gave up 31 while Orlando scored 46 but conceded just 20. With that said, the Pride did stumble a bit down the stretch with their only two losses on the season coming within the final three regular season matches (when, admittedly, they’d already secured the Shield and number one seed and so rested some players). Their star striker, Banda, did score a brace in their quarterfinal win last weekend, but before that had gone multiple months without finding the back of the net. Additionally, in the same timeframe during with KC has conceded only three goals, Orlando has given up nine.

Throughout the history of the NWSL, the league has featured incredible parity. A perfect example of that was the 2023 season when only a total of 13 points separated first place from last place. This year has been very different with four teams separating themselves from the rest as illustrated by the 16-point gap between Kansas City in 4th and North Carolina in 5th. Unsurprisingly, those are the four teams that remain alive in the playoffs. Again, only five points separate this top group 1-4 and so whichever team emerges to claim the title, it likely won’t be seen as an upset. Saturday will see Gotham travel to DC to face the Washington Spirit and determine one half of the Championship Match. If the Current can spoil the Pride’s (nearly immaculate) season, they will get to come home to the train horns and the 11,500 screaming fans with a chance to strike gold.

One final note in KC’s favor this weekend: in the 12-year history of the NWSL, only twice (NC in both 2018 & 2019) has the Shield winner also claimed the title. In fact, in each of the last three years, the Shield winners have been knocked out at the semifinal stage–including Seattle to KC two years ago. Four in a row?

WHEN: Sunday, November 17 at 2:00 PM (Central Time)

WHERE: Inter & Co Stadium, Orlando, FL

HOW TO WATCH: ABC/ESPN Deportes

Record:

KC Current (regular season): 16-7-3 (55 points, 4th place in NWSL league standings)

Orlando Pride (regular season): 18-6-2 (60 points, 1st place in NWSL league standings)

Last Match:

KC Current (league quarterfinals): 1-0 win home to North Carolina Courage

Orlando Pride (league quarterfinals): 4-1 win home to Chicago Red Stars