Category: KC Current

The Kansas City Current (3-4-3, 12 points) remains on the road this weekend to play the Washington Spirit (1-4-6, 9 points) for the first time in the 2022 campaign.

The match kicks off at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 10, in Leesburg, Virginia, and will be broadcast locally on KMCI, 38 the Spot and stream nationally on Paramount+.

Head coach Matt Potter’s Current extended its unbeaten run to a club-best five matches in a 2-1 road victory over the Houston Dash on July 1.

The Current found the net on each side of the halftime break, with midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta converting a penalty kick in the 43rd minute and Hailie Mace scoring the match-winning goal off a Cece Kizer assist in the 46th minute. The win marked Kansas City’s first-ever regular season road win in NWSL regular season play.

The Washington Spirit fell 2-1 on the road against the San Diego Wave on July 3. Without seven U.S. Women’s National Team players due to the ongoing CONCACAF W Championship, the Spirit fell behind 2-0 in the first half and was unable to make up the difference. Midfielder Jordan Baggett scored Washington’s lone goal of the contest, a headed finish in the third minute of second-half stoppage time.

Inside the streak

With Sunday’s match marking the official halfway point of the 2022 NWSL regular season, the Kansas City Current has nearly eclipsed last season’s point total of 16.

The Current’s torrid start to the 2022 campaign has been boosted by the team’s ongoing five-match unbeaten streak, in which Kansas City has found positive results in a multitude of ways. Strong defensive performances have anchored recent shutout victories over Racing Louisville and NJ/NY Gotham, while the goalscoring prowess of forward Kristen Hamilton has helped the Current secure draws against the Wave and the Chicago Red Stars.

Kansas City has trailed for a total of just 10 minutes over its last five matches, which all came in the buildup to Kizer’s equalizing goal against the Red Stars on June 18. Most impressively, the unbeaten streak has catapulted the Current into the mix for a potential spot in the NWSL playoffs.

Franch makes five saves against Houston

Current goalkeeper A.D. Franch had another stellar performance against Houston on Friday night.

The Salina, Kansas, native made five saves against Houston to extend her total in the 2022 regular season to 37, which ranks second in the NWSL

Franch made a variety of stops to keep Houston at bay in both halves, but the best came in a double-save sequence in the 88th minute. A deflected cross from the left wing forced Franch backwards to make a diving stop, which she parried just outside of the goal box. The ball fell to Dash midfielder Emily Ogle, then Franch dove forward to deny Ogle’s second-chance effort.

Franch also eclipsed 350 career saves in her NWSL career against the Dash.

Players to watch

Kansas City Current defender Hailie Mace — Mace has been stellar over Kansas City’s last three matches but had her best performance last Friday. Mace was dangerous all evening down the wings, though she helped set up her goal from a central position. She picked up the ball in the opening seconds of the second half about 35 yards from the goal and found Kizer on the right wing, then made a trailing run awaiting Kizer’s pass. From there, Mace calmly slotted the ball home at the penalty spot to double the Current’s lead. Mace will look to continue her run against the Spirit following her first goal of the regular season.

Washington Spirit forward Tara McKeown — The former USC Trojan and No. 8 overall pick in the 2021 NWSL College Draft made her first appearance of the 2022 regular season last weekend against San Diego. McKeown played the entirety of the second half and looked threatening, assisting on the Spirit’s only goal of the match and recording a shot on goal. McKeown had a productive rookie season in 2021, playing in 23 matches and starting 13. The Newbury Park, California, native scored one goal, recorded 15 key passes and had two assists in her rookie campaign.

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The Kansas City Current carried over its impressive June form into July with a 2-1 road win over the Houston Dash on Friday night.

The victory extended the Current’s franchise-best unbeaten streak to five matches and marked the first regular season road win in franchise history. Midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta and defender Hailie Mace scored goals in the 42nd and 46th minute, and Houston was unable to mount a rally.

“A lot of players put in a good, honest night’s work, that’s what you have to do on the road,” head coach Matt Potter said. “We’ve talked about at the end of the game, when we have to grind then we need to be prepared to grind. When we can play, we have to be prepared to play. So tonight proved to be one of those nights and we’re really proud of the group.”

Aside from the goal scorers, Current goalkeeper A.D. Franch had perhaps the biggest impact on Friday’s match. The hosts had the first significant scoring opportunity of the match in the 27th minute when the Dash’s recently acquired forward Ebony Salmon drove in on Franch one-on-one. The Current goalkeeper did enough to cut down the breakaway angle and stopped Salmon’s shot with her foot, then Franch made another massive save seven minutes later to deny Houston forward Shea Groom from eight yards out.

Franch was heroic all evening, making multiple jaw-dropping stops in the second half that helped maintain Kansas City’s lead. With five saves in Friday’s match, Franch eclipsed 350 career saves in her National Women’s Soccer League career and improved her 2022 save total to a league-best 37.

Kansas City and Houston traded opportunities in the first half before the Current took the lead in the waning moments of the period. On the Current’s first corner kick of the match in the 42nd minute, Dash forward Shea Groom blocked a second-chance cross with her arm inside the penalty box, which resulted in a penalty kick for Kansas City. LaBonta drilled the spot kick into the top shelf of the goal to give the Current a 1-0 lead.

Head coach Potter’s squad struck immediately after halftime to double the lead. Only 36 seconds into the half, forward CeCe Kizer made a darting run down the wing and found Mace at the top of the penalty box with an inch-perfect pass through multiple Houston defenders. Mace slotted the ball home for the match-winning goal in the 46th minute.

The Dash did get on the score sheet in an own goal in the final moments of the match after a ball deflected past Franch off a Current defender. However, it was too late into the second half added time to make any difference as the Current traveled home with the 2-1 win.

Kansas City is next in action at 4 p.m. Sunday, July 10, for a road clash with the Washington Spirit. The team’s next home match comes the following weekend at 6 p.m. Sunday, July 17, against the Orlando Pride.

Tickets and Flex plans are available for all home matches at Children’s Mercy Park. For pricing and information visit KansasCityCurrent.com.

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The Kansas City Current are on the road for the first time in over a month as the team travels to play the Houston Dash at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 1.

The match will be broadcast locally on KMCI, 38 the Spot and stream on Paramount+.

The Kansas City Current (2-4-3, 9 points) is on a run of good form entering its first match of July.

The Current are on a four-game undefeated streak with a 2-0-2 record since May 30. Most recently, Kansas City played a 2-2 draw with the Chicago Red Stars on June 18.

Forward Kristen Hamilton gave Kansas City the lead initially in the eighth minute, her team-leading fourth of the regular season. After falling behind 2-1 in the second half, recently acquired forward CeCe Kizer leveled the match in the second half with a strike from just outside the penalty box.

The Houston Dash (4-2-3, 15 points) is coming off a high-scoring, end-to-end match against the North Carolina Courage that saw the team hold on for a 4-3 victory on June 19. The Dash have allowed seven goals in its last two matches. Houston added to its roster this week, acquiring forward Ebony Salmon in a trade with Racing Louisville on June 27.

Hamilton making history

Hamilton has been an offensive leader in her first full season with Kansas City after being acquired in a mid-season trade last summer. In the eighth minute of Kansas City’s match against the Red Stars on June 18, Hamilton set a club record for most goals in a regular season with her fourth score this year.

The Littleton, Colorado, native has scored nine goals in all competitions in 2022 (also a club record), including crucial goals in Kansas City’s last three matches. Two of those goals came from set pieces, while the third was the winning strike in the Current’s 1-0 win over NJ-NY Gotham FC on June 11.

New facility

Despite not playing a game in the last two weeks, Kansas City has seen plenty of action.

On Wednesday, June 22, Kansas City officially unveiled its $18 million training facility in Riverside, Missouri, the first purpose-built facility constructed specifically for a National Women’s Soccer League team. The facility is player-first, and Current players will now have access to elite weight, cardio and recovery assets as well as a high-performance chef and locally sourced menus. The facility was privately financed by club ownership and designed by Generator Studio and Monarch Build, a female-owned construction firm.

Players to watch

Kansas City Current midfielder Kate Del Fava —Del Fava has had a breakout season in 2022 as a regular part of Kansas City’s on-field rotation, playing in nine games with six starts and 561 minutes played. She has been dangerous going forward as well, with five key passes and three total shots on target. Del Fava has been utilized both as an outside and central midfielder in Kansas City’s last four matches.

Houston Dash midfielder Elizabeth Eddy — Houston’s roster took a significant hit over the international break, with seven players not expected to return until late July due to international competition. Enter midfielder Elizabeth Eddy. She started and scored two goals against North Carolina before the break. Following her brace, the 30-year-old midfielder could feature in some capacity against the Current.

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