Category: KC Current

The Kansas City Current will spend Memorial Day at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, for the first of four straight home games, as the team hosts Racing Louisville FC at 2 p.m. Monday, May 30.

Paramount+ will provide a national stream of Monday’s match.

During the Kansas City Current’s two-game west coast road trip, Kansas City was without several key players and head coach Matt Potter due to COVID-19 protocols. The Current enter Monday’s contest on the heels of a 1-0 loss to OL Reign Wednesday night, a match that featured a sound defensive performance before a headed goal by Reign forward Bethany Balcer in the 80th minute.

Racing Louisville FC last played May 22, a 1-0 win over NJ-NY Gotham FC that gave Louisville its first two-match winning streak in club history. Midfielder Lauren Milliet scored the contest’s lone goal on a well-worked sequence in the 13th minute, and Louisville’s defense did just enough to keep Gotham off the scoreboard.

Franch at top of her form

Kansas City Current goalkeeper A.D. Franch had another stellar performance against OL Reign Wednesday night, her 100th NWSL appearance.

Franch becomes only the fourth goalkeeper to reach that milestone.

Franch kept the Current in the match all night with a host of quality saves. Arguably the best of the bunch was a one-on-one denial of Reign forward Tziarra King in the 22nd minute that was crucial in keeping the match scoreless in the opening half. Franch made six saves in the first half and eight overall, the second-most single match saves that Franch has recorded as a member of the Current.

Franch’s impressive performance moved her to the top of the NWSL saves list in 2022 with 26. Louisville goalkeeper Katie Lund’s 19 saves rank third in the NWSL, setting the stage for another clash between the league’s top shot-stoppers.

SNACKS Day

Monday’s match is SNACKS Day, as the club is promoting the podcast by Kansas City Current teammates Sam Mewis and Lynn Williams.

Founded in 2021, the podcast gives listeners unique access into both the on and off-field lives of two U.S. Women’s National Team stars. Episodes feature Mewis and Williams having authentic conversations about day-to-day issues with each other and fellow NWSL players and teammates. And, of course, they discuss their shared love of all kinds of snacks.

Promotional giveaways at the match include SNACKS T-shirt tosses, sticker and tote bag giveaways, special in-game content and more. It is produced by The Just Women’s Sports.

Home for the summer

Monday’s match starts a stretch of four home matches for the Current. Kansas City plays host to the San Diego Wave in the team’s inaugural meeting June 4, then Gotham FC and Chicago visit Children’s Mercy Park June 11 and 18. Season Tickets and Flex plans are available for home matches at Children’s Mercy Park. For pricing and information visit kansascitycurrent.com.

Players to watch

Kansas City Current defender Elizabeth Ball — Ball provided a major boost to Kansas City’s shorthanded defense over the last week, playing a combined 175 minutes in road matches against Angel City FC and OL Reign. The veteran defender was crucial in keeping the Current’s back line organized as they withstood pressure in both matches.

She was also involved offensively against OL Reign, with two total shots including a threatening header that required a Reign clearance in the second half. So far this season, Ball has recorded 15 clearances, eight blocks and 14 interceptions.

Racing Louisville forward Cece Kizer— The Overland Park, Kansas, native and Blue Valley Northwest graduate is enjoying a strong start to her fourth professional season. In the 2022 Challenge Cup, she found success against Kansas City. When the teams first met March 18, Kizer opened the scoring with a brilliant individual run that was capped with a left-footed finish on an assist from McDonald.

In the team’s second meeting April 3, Kizer played a key pass into the 18-yard box which was eventually nodded in by Milliet to give Louisville a 2-0 lead. Kizer has started all five of Louisville’s regular season matches and has recorded two assists and four key passes.

• Story from KC Current

Seattle, Washington — A shorthanded Kansas City Current squad battled valiantly against OL Reign in the third and final match of a three-game road trip Wednesday but fell 1-0 as Reign forward Bethany Balcer’s headed goal in the 80th minute proved decisive.

Kansas City, missing head coach Matt Potter and four players due to COVID protocol for the second consecutive match, proved difficult to break down for a majority of the contest before an inch-perfect cross and finish gave the hosts the victory.

“That’s the game, we’ve got to learn from it, we’ve got to grow from it. We’re not going to make excuses down to our circumstances,“ acting head coach Lloyd Yaxley said. “We’re not going to make excuses; we’re going to fight and as a staff we’re going to knock our heads against the wall and come up with some solutions.”

OL Reign put pressure on Kansas City early with a flurry of chances. The most dangerous was in the 22nd minute, when forward Tziarra King had a one-on-one opportunity against Current goalkeeper A.D. Franch. Franch made a huge stop to keep the game level, then defender Jenna Winebrenner provided a crucial clearance.

Franch, who made her 100th NWSL appearance in Wednesday night’s match, made six saves through the opening 45 minutes and eight overall to help keep the match level at halftime. Midfielder Victoria Pickett and forward Elyse Bennett proved difficult for OL Reign to slow down in the opening half, each winning fouls well within opposing territory, but the Current was unable to find a goal.

Kansas City flipped the script and dictated proceedings for much of the second half, generating multiple scoring opportunities. In the 64th minute, a set piece led to a one-on-one opportunity for midfielder Kate Del Fava, but her shot sailed just over the crossbar. Minutes later, a Current corner found the head of defender Elizabeth Ball, but the Reign headed her shot away.

After Balcer’s goal, Franch made two more quality saves to keep the Current in the match and prevent a second OL Reign goal, but Kansas City was unable to generate an equalizer.

Kansas City is back at home for four matches over the next three weeks, starting with a clash against Racing Louisville FC at 2 p.m. Monday, May 30. Season tickets and flex plans are available for all home matches at Children’s Mercy Park. For pricing and information visit KansasCityCurrent.com.

• Story from KC Current

Kansas City squares off against OL Reign at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington, at 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 25.

It will be the conclusion of KC Current’s three-game road trip. KMCI, 38 The Spot will broadcast Wednesday’s match locally, with Paramount+ streaming nationally.

Kansas City is in search of its first win of the 2022 NWSL regular season after a hard-fought 1-0 road loss to Angel City FC on Saturday night.

A shorthanded Current squad nearly took the lead in the ninth minute through a free kick from midfielder Alex Loera, but Angel City goalkeeper Didi Haracic made an acrobatic save, denying the rookie.

The Current withstood Angel City’s pressure for most of the match with the help of goalkeeper A.D. Franch making multiple saves, but an own goal gave the hosts a 1-0 victory.

OL Reign, meanwhile, drew with the Washington Spirit 0-0 on Sunday afternoon. The Reign had 20 shots to Washington’s seven but were unable to breach the Spirit’s back line. The result marked OL Reign’s third draw in four regular season matches.

Similar squads

Kansas City and OL Reign are similarly aligned ahead of Wednesday’s match.

Both teams enjoyed success in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. OL Reign won the West Division with a tournament-best 14 points through the group stage. In the semifinals, OL Reign matched up with the Washington Spirit, and the teams played to a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes. The Spirit advanced to the finals after winning a penalty kick shootout 9-8.

The Current won the Central Division in the Challenge Cup with 13 points, and advanced to the semifinals of the competition. Kansas City also played a tight semifinal but fell 2-1 to the eventual champion, the North Carolina Courage.

Neither squad has picked up a win in the 2022 NWSL regular season. Wednesday’s match presents an opportunity for Kansas City to regain its Challenge Cup form with a massive three points.

Best in net

Wednesday’s match features two of the best goalkeepers in the NWSL – Kansas City’s Franch and OL Reign’s Phallon Tullis-Joyce.

Tullis-Joyce, a first-year starter, had an impressive Challenge Cup campaign in which she recorded 24 saves and two clean sheets in seven matches played. She has continued that form in the regular season, leading the NWSL with 21 saves and recording two shutouts. While Tullis-Joyce is a new face to the league, she boasts plenty of experience from her collegiate days at Miami (Florida) and her time spent at Stade de Reims in France.

Franch has cemented herself as one of the league’s best goalkeepers through her lengthy professional career. The Salina, Kansas, native reached 10,000 minutes played in the NWSL on May 8 and enters Wednesday’s match with 18 saves, good for third best in the NWSL.

Players to watch

Kansas City Current midfielder Victoria Pickett — Pickett, a second-year player and integral piece of Kansas City’s midfield, played the full 90 minutes for the first time in the regular season on Saturday night against Angel City. Pickett has appeared in all four of Kansas City’s matches and has completed 80% of her passes while recording five key passes. She’s no stranger to scoring against OL Reign, scoring a goal in the 73rd minute of a meeting between the two sides in August 2021 that gave Kansas City its first win in franchise history.

OL Reign midfielder Jessica Fishlock — Fishlock added another accolade to an impressive playing career in 2021, as she won the 2021 NWSL Most Valuable Player award for the first time in her career. She had an impressive campaign, with 1,180 minutes played, five goals and four assists in the 2021 regular season. She competed defensively too, as she won 63% of her tackles and provided 13 clearances. This season, Fishlock played in seven Challenge Cup matches and recorded an assist, four key passes and eight interceptions. She has yet to record a goal or assist in the 2022 NWSL regular season.

• Story from KC Current