Match Preview: KC Current at NC Courage

So…do you want the good news or the bad news first? Good? OK, well the Current are undefeated at home this season and four of their next six matches are in the friendly confines of CPKC Stadium. But the bad news is that the next match is on the road in North Carolina and the Current have been really (really) bad on the road so far. Through four away games, the team is 0-0-4 and have scored just a single goal while allowing eleven. It just seems cruel to keep comparing the 2026 version of the Current to the 2025 iteration, but for reference, in thirteen road games last year, the team gave up only seven goals, scored twenty goals of their own, and had a 10-0-3 record. It’s jarring just how different (worse!) this season has been.

The last time out, the Current visited the Spirit and were humiliated to the tune of a 0-4 defeat. Between the team’s trips to Spokane and DC, the Current have suffered the two most lopsided losses in years. And this is happening as the roster is getting healthier and more complete. The starting eleven for KC last Friday night was an enviable mix of national team stars and league award winners. And there were a few moments early on where they looked dangerous. However, the game turned into a perfect showcase of what happens when one side can’t finish its chances and the other side can.

Anyone interested in really getting into the weeds of that match should check out Expected Own Goals’s video breaking it all down. They provide reasons that Current fans can still feel optimistic: the team has had terrible “luck” thus far and there is an historical president for turning the season around after this sort of start. They also dig into all the things that are really going wrong for Kansas City…including ownership involvement and roster construction.

There has already been a lot of discussion about new manager Chris Armas’s job security, but (unless something dramatic happens in the next couple of days), he will still be manning the sidelines on Saturday afternoon in Cary. It would seem that one of his faults has been trying to force the Current’s athletes into a style of play that doesn’t best utilize their strengths. Perhaps it’s time to really start mixing things up. On paper, the lineup that took the field in Washington was about the strongest KC has to offer at this point and they were thoroughly outplayed. Why not tinker with the formation and with player positions? Maybe go with a 5-3-2 lineup with Chawinga and Coooper as the two forwards? Nobody (outside of Hopkins in the Teal Rising Cup) has really laid claim to the traditional #9 spot like Bia did in ’24-’25.

The defense has been very leaky so far (the team hasn’t had a single match yet in which they’ve not trailed), so maybe go with a three center back system with Bravo-Young and Rodriguez on the outsides. Also, if the goal is to keep Sentnor in the starting lineup, could she fill in the space her bestie Hutton vacated and put in a good performance at the #6? If not, it seems like someone like Rocky Rodríguez will need to get more playing time. The Current have been spoiled at the defensive midfield spot in recent years with Hutton laying claim to it and before her Desi Scott, “The Destroyer”, patrolling that part of the pitch. While Rocky isn’t at the level of ether of those players, she’s more of a natural fit there than anyone else currently in teal: LaBonta and DiBernardo (when she returns) are more of an 8 and Bethune and Debinha play more like 10s. Whatever the solution, figuring out that defensive midfield role is priority number one.

Regardless of formation and lineup specifics, the Current will do battle with the Courage at WakeMed Soccer Park at 5:30 Saturday evening. Like a lot of teams around the league, North Carolina has had an up and down campaign thus far. In fact, they will be entering this weekend’s clash much less fresh than KC as they played the Legacy in Boston on Wednesday evening. That match ended 2-2 securing the first (ever) point for the expansion side from Massachusetts. Despite this, the Courage are still having a better go of things than the Current, sitting on nine points (to KC’s six) and having only lost once. North Carolina has also traditionally been a challenging place for the Current to play and even if KC has a late lead, the Courage have, more than once, stolen points in stoppage time.

One Courage player the porous KC defense will definitely need to keep tabs on is midfielder Ashley Sanchez. Sanchez is currently (co)leading the NWSL Golden Boot race with five tallies in six games. It was her second half finish that secured a result for the Courage in Boston Wednesday and her conversion rate is also strong with the five goals coming on just fourteen total shots. Sharples and co will need to make sure to not leave her with space in and around the box.

Back2back POTM 🐐

— North Carolina Courage (@nccourage.com) 2026-04-30T02:17:37.554Z

To conclude on a more positive note, as much as this has been about as horrid a start from this group as could have been imagined, it is still early (especially now with a 30-game season). A win in NC and then a string of positive results at home and things start to feel a lot better. It still seems like there is way too much talent in the Kansas City locker room for 0-4 drubbings to be the norm. Perhaps they can exert control over a weary Courage side and help a lot of midwestern fans feel better.

WHEN: Saturday, May 2 at 5:30 PM (Central Time)

WHERE: WakeMed Soccer Park, Cary, NC

HOW TO WATCH: 38 the Spot / ion

Record:

KC Current: 2-0-4 (6 points, 13th place)

North Carolina Courage: 2-3-1 (9 points, 9th place)

Last Match:

KC Current: 0-4 away loss at Washington Spirit

North Carolina Courage: 2-2 away draw at Boston Legacy