Category: Sports

North Carolina visits Current today

Following a 1-1 draw in front of a record-setting crowd at Children’s Mercy Park, the Kansas City Current (7-4-5, 26pts, 4th place) are back in action at home at 6 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. against the North Carolina Courage (4-6-4, 16pts, 9thplace).

The second meeting in two weeks between Kansas City and North Carolina will be broadcast locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB and streamed globally on Twitch.

Kansas City extended its unbeaten streak to 11 games, the third-longest unbeaten streak in NWSL history, with a 1-1 draw Friday against Angel City. The visitors opened the scoring with a goal from midfielder Cari Roccaro in the 78th minute, but the Current responded immediately.

Current midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta beat an Angel City defender to a loose ball in the penalty area and won a penalty kick in the 80th minute. LaBonta converted the attempt for her career-high fifth goal of the season as the match ended 1-1. LaBonta’s fourth penalty kick goal of the season tied her with San Diego Wave forward Alex Morgan for the most in the NWSL.

North Carolina brings a two-match winning streak into Sunday’s contest after knocking off two playoff-contending squads in impressive fashion. On Aug. 20, the Courage blitzed the Chicago Red Stars 4-0 at home, led by three second-half goals. Rookie forward Diana Ordoñez led the way with a brace.

Then, Aug. 24, the Courage picked up another stunning home win, a 3-1 triumph over first-place Portland.

The Courage’s victory snapped Portland’s 11-game unbeaten streak, leaving the Current with the NWSL’s longest active streak entering Sunday’s match.

Current scored four goals on Aug. 13

When the Current and Courage last squared off Aug. 13, one of the most entertaining contests of the 2022 NWSL regular season ensued. Kansas City had to come back from a one-goal deficit on three separate occasions in the 4-3 win, which was capped by Lavogez’s stunning game-winner from long range in the 79th minute. LaBonta and forwards Cece Kizer and Kristen Hamilton scored Kansas City’s other three goals in the victory.

High-scoring affairs have been commonplace for North Carolina in 2022. The Courage enter Sunday’s contest ranking second in the NWSL in goals scored, and third in most goals conceded. The Courage have scored multiple goals in nine of their last 10 contests. Included in those games are some gaudy score lines, like 3-3 draws against the Washington Spirit and Portland Thorns and 4-3 losses to both Kansas City and the Houston Dash. North Carolina is averaging 3.2 goals per game over the last five matches.

Four Current players selected for national teams

The Kansas City Current will be well-represented during the Sept. FIFA window, with four Current players selected for their country’s national teams: midfielder Desiree Scott (Canada), midfielder Chloe Logarzo (Australia), goalkeeper Sydney Schneider (Jamaica) and defender Hailie Mace (United States).

Mace is replacing Washington Spirit defender Kelly O’Hara on the U.S. Women’s National Team’s roster for a pair of friendlies against Nigeria. Mace, who has not appeared for the USWNT since 2018 and has three total caps, has been an integral part of the Current’s ongoing 11-match unbeaten streak. Mace has two goals and two assists for the Current this season and was named to the NWSL July Best XI of the Month. Mace and the USWNT’s first game of the window comes on Sept. 3 against Nigeria at Children’s Mercy Park.

Scott and Logarzo, meanwhile, are veterans at the international level. Scott has made over 180 appearances for Canada and was a crucial piece of Canada’s run at the 2022 Concacaf W Championship last month. Logarzo is in-line to make her first international appearance since tearing her ACL against Ireland on Sept. 22, 2021. Scott and Logarzo will square off twice during the international break, with Canada and Australia meeting on Sept. 2 and Sept. 6, with both matches held in Australia.

Schneider rounds out the Current’s quartet of international call-ups. A regular fixture in the Jamaican squad with 18 caps, she will look to see action when the Reggae Girlz play South Korea in Hwaseong, South Korea on Sept. 3.

New midfielder for Current

Midfielder Claire Lavogez made her much-anticipated home debut in Friday’s match after an impressive showing in the Current’s 4-3 win over North Carolina Aug. 13. Lavogez’s assist and game-winning goal helped the French international win the Budweiser National Women’s Soccer League Player of the Week Award.

Lavogez started and played 66 minutes in the Current’s 1-1 draw with Angel City, her first start since being acquired June 20. Her previous NWSL appearances against San Diego Aug. 7 and North Carolina Aug. 13 were as a substitute.

Separate from Lavogez’s arrival in the team’s Starting XI, the Current’s midfield will have a different feel heading into this weekend’s clash against North Carolina. On Monday, Kansas City acquired $200,000 in allocation money from NJ/NY Gotham and either OL Reign’s natural first round pick, currently held by Gotham, or Gotham’s second highest selection in the 2023 NWSL Draft and in exchange for midfielder Victoria Pickett.

Pickett, the second-ever draft pick in franchise history, was a consistent player for the Current over the last two seasons. She assisted on the club’s first goal in the 2021 Challenge Cup and scored the game-winning goal against OL Reign Aug. 14, 2021, which marked the first win in franchise history. Pickett appeared in 35 regular season matches for Kansas City and had a goal and an assist in 30 starts.

Current breaks attendance record

Ahead of the Current’s match against Angel City FC, the club encouraged fans to #ShowUpKC to help break the all-time Kansas City attendance record for a professional woman’s soccer match. The club also hoped to break the 10,000-fan threshold.

Kansas City soccer fans delivered. Not only did the Current set a new attendance record, but the club also achieved its goal of having over 10,000 fans in the stands. Friday night’s attendance was 10,395, which surpassed the previous season-high of 7,954 fans set June 4. In addition, the Current vs Angel City match had the highest attendance of any NWSL match played last weekend.

Players to watch

Kansas City Current goalkeeper A.D. Franch — Keeping a potent Courage offense at bay starts with Franch, who enters Sunday’s match ranked fourth in the NWSL with 50 saves. Franch has recorded three clean sheets thus far in the 2022 regular season, and with one more will become just the second goalkeeper ever to reach 40 career NWSL shutouts. She has recorded a save on 70.4% of shots faced and has appeared in all but one game for the Current in the regular season. Franch has also racked up plenty of individual accolades in 2022, being named to the NWSL July Best XI of the Month while also winning the NWSL Player of the Week award July 13.

North Carolina Courage midfielder Debinha — With six goals and two assists in the 2022 regular season, Courage midfielder Debinha is one of North Carolina’s most dynamic attacking options. In Wednesday’s victory over Portland, Debinha gave the Courage a crucial two-goal cushion after slipping to the back post and slotting a cross home. She’s no stranger to scoring against the Current either, with a goal when the teams met both on Aug. 13 and in the NWSL Challenge Cup Semifinal on May 4.

  • Story from KC Current

Monarchs clip Birds in nail-biter

by Dan Vaughan Jr., Monarchs

The Kansas City Monarchs (58-34) were one strike away from securing a win before the Sioux Falls Canaries (32-60) tied the game in the bottom of the ninth.

Kansas City did not waste the extra innings as the Monarchs scored two runs in the top of the 10th to send their winning streak to four games in a 3-1 thriller.

Brock Gilliam was outstanding for the Monarchs in getting a no decision. The Basehor, Kansas, native tossed 5.2 shutout innings while allowing only two hits; he left in the sixth with a 1-0 lead.

The Canaries got a great effort as well from their starter Neal Lang. The left-hander went 5.1 innings, giving up one earned run with six strikeouts.

The game was tied at 0 until the sixth although the Monarchs did threaten in the second and the fourth innings with a runner at third, but could not push across a run. That all changed in the top of the sixth.

Jacob Robson worked a walk from Lang, then a fielder’s choice from Jan Hernandez forced out Robson at second for out number one. Casey Gillaspie singled to put runners at first and second and chase Lang to the showers.

Gio Brusa singled to load the bases for the Monarchs. Pete Kozma hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Hernandez for a 1-0 lead.

The Canaries got two on with two outs in the home half of the sixth, but Alex Valdez was able to get the final out of the inning to keep the game 1-0.

Valdez struck out strikeout the side in the seventh, and left-hander Jordan Martinson allowed two hits but worked around them in the eighth, including getting Jabari Henry to fly out to left with two outs.

Jameson McGrane came in for Kansas City after a scoreless top of the ninth for KC. He struck out the first batter, Trey Michalczewski, but walked Connor Blair. He then struck out Kona Squiggle for the second out of the inning. John Nester worked a full count walk to put runners at first and second. Angelo Altavilla singled to left to tie the game at one in the bottom of the ninth. McGrane struck out Nick Gotta to send the game to extra innings.

In the top of the 10th the Monarchs started with Mallex Smith at second base, facing Mitchell Walters, who worked a 1-2-3 ninth for the Canaries. Ryan Grotjohn hit an infield single to put runners at the corners. Walters then stumbled in his delivery, did not deliver a pitch and was called for a balk to score Smith and move Grotjohn to second, giving the Monarchs a 2-1 lead.

Kevin Santa walked and then Robson struck out for out number one. Hernandez was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Walters uncorked a wild pitch to score Grotjohn for a 3-1 lead. Walters then got back-to-back punch outs on Gillaspie and Brusa to take the game to the bottom of the 10th.

The Canaries started Gotta at second as the zombie runner. McGrane hit Ozzie Martinez with a pitch to put runners at first and second. Wyatt Ulrich hit a ground ball to short, but with Martinez running on the pitch, Monarchs shortstop Kozma threw home to get Gotta by a mile for out number one.

The Monarchs summoned Brian Glowicki into the game and he got a big strikeout of Henry and then a ground ball to second off the bat of Michalczewski that Santa threw to Kozma to force out Ulrich to close the door on the Birds.

The Monarchs and Canaries will wrap up their three-game series at 1:05 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28, in Sioux Falls.

The game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 12:35 p.m. and the video stream airing on aa baseball.tv.

Tickets to Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com.

San Jose to visit Sporting KC on Saturday

Sporting Kansas City will welcome the San Jose Earthquakes to Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday for the 1,000th match in club history across all competitions.

Tickets for the match are available via SeatGeek.com.

The Western Conference clash will be locally televised on 38 The Spot with three hours of coverage beginning at 7 p.m. The broadcast will also stream live on SportingKC.com and in the Sporting KC app for viewers in Kansas and Missouri (excluding the St. Louis area per MLS policy), as well as ESPN+ for out-of-market subscribers. In addition, the match will air live on Sports Radio 810 WHB and La Grande 1340 AM.

Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes will participate in his 662nd MLS match as a player or coach on Saturday, tying Jason Kreis for the most in league history.

Vermes played seven seasons in Major League Soccer from 1996 to 2002 and has become the longest tenured head coach with one club in MLS history as Sporting’s manager for 14 seasons since August 2009.

Like Vermes, Sporting Kansas City midfielder Roger Espinoza is on the cusp of a major career milestone as the World Cup veteran is 15 minutes shy of eclipsing 25,000 minutes played in MLS competitions.

Espinoza has assists in two of the team’s last three matches as Sporting has scored 11 goals in their past three regular season matches, equaling a feat that had been accomplished just once previously in club history during the inaugural 1996 MLS campaign.

No other MLS club has scored more goals in its last three regular season matches as Sporting currently leads the league in goals per match (3.67) and shots on goal per match (8.3) during the month of August.

Sporting has started strong during the offensive outburst, becoming the first team in MLS history to score three first-half goals in three consecutive regular season matches.

In those three matches, no player has scored more often than newcomer Willy Agada. The 22-year-old Nigerian striker struck twice in the team’s 4-2 win over Portland last Sunday and now leads the league with five goals in the month of August. He is the second player in club history to score five goals in the span of three regular season matches and on Saturday will have a chance to write his name in the record books as the first SKC player all-time to score six goals within his first six MLS appearances.

Sporting and San Jose will both be aiming to win back-to-back games for the first time this season on Saturday. The Earthquakes snapped a six-game winless skid last weekend in impressive fashion with a 2-1 victory over Supporters’ Shield leaders LAFC courtesy of goals from Benji Kikanovic and Cade Cowell.

Matches involving San Jose have averaged the most goals (3.69) in Major League Soccer this season. Jeremy Ebobisse ranks fifth in MLS with a team-leading and career-high 14 goals, while winger Cristian Espinoza is tied for third in MLS with 11 assists. Defensively, San Jose has conceded more than two goals per game this year, which is most in the Western Conference. That average includes a league-high 2.4 goals per road match, as the Earthquakes are 1-8-4 away from home in 2022.

Sporting Kansas City is 7-1-5 against San Jose in the last 13 competitive meetings dating back to 2016 and the team has gone 13-1-3 in 17 home matches with the Earthquakes in all competitions since 2004. The clubs last met on May 22 in a 1-1 draw at PayPal Park as Johnny Russell and Jackson Yueill traded goals.

Sporting will be missing four players on Saturday as Kortne Ford (suspension), Gadi Kinda (knee), Tim Melia (hamstring) and Alan Pulido (knee) remain unavailable. San Jose will travel to Kansas City without Brazilian defender Nathan as the centerback serves a one-game suspension for caution accumulation.

Following Saturday’s match, fans will receive mini soccer balls from a sponsor.

  • Story from Sporting KC