The Kansas City Current (6-4-4, 22pts, 5th place) will play its second and final August road match at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 13, against the North Carolina Courage (2-5-4, 10pts, 12th place) in Cary, North Carolina.
Saturday night’s match will be broadcast globally on Twitch as part of the streaming platform’s Soccer Saturday Night Showcase.
Last time out, the Current extended its franchise-best unbeaten streak to nine matches with a 2-1 road win over the San Diego Wave on Aug. 7.
First-half goals from forward Cece Kizer and defender Hailie Mace proved too much for the Wave to overcome Aug. 7 as Kansas City closed out the one-goal win. The victory extended the Current’s road winning streak to three matches, the longest such streak in the NWSL this season, while also placing them within just three points of first place in the league standings.
North Carolina also picked up a road result last weekend, coming back from a two-goal deficit to earn a 3-3 draw with the Portland Thorns on Aug. 5.
Rookie forward Diana Ordoñez scored twice in the match, which extended her goal total on the season to seven, and defender Jaelene Daniels nodded home the game-tying goal in the 85th minute. The Courage’s draw coincidentally marked the team’s third tie in a row and second 3-3 draw in as many matches.
Challenge Cup rematch
Saturday’s match is the first time these two teams have met this regular season, but the last meeting between Kansas City and North Carolina in 2022 had high stakes. On May 4, the Current and Courage met at a rainy Children’s Mercy Park in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup Semifinal.
The visitors jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half, but the deficit did not deter the Current. Kansas City continued generating threatening scoring chances all match and finally broke through when forward Kristen Hamilton pulled a goal back in the 79th minute. Unfortunately, the Current could not find another goal as the Courage held on for the 2-1 win, which was the same score line that North Carolina beat the Washington Spirit by three days later in the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup Final. The Courage’s semifinal win continued a trend that will need breaking if the Current are to continue their road winning streak — North Carolina enters Saturday’s match having never lost to Kansas City.
However, it’s worth noting that both squads enter Saturday in completely different places than they were in May. The Courage have been unable to carry their Challenge Cup form over into the regular season and hold just 10 points through 11 regular season matches played. The Current, meanwhile, have vaulted themselves into playoff contention over the course of the club’s ongoing unbeaten run.
Road warriors
A pivotal reason for Kansas City’s incredible single-season turnaround is the team’s recent road form.
After entering the 2022 regular season having not won a regular season road match in club history, the Current have won three road matches in a row entering Saturday, the longest streak in the NWSL Two of those wins have come against top-three teams in the NWSL standings.
The Current’s wins over the Houston Dash and San Diego Wave, which sit in third and second place in the NWSL table respectively, both followed a similar game script despite occurring over a month apart. Kansas City built two-goal leads in both matches and conceded late in both instances that sent the match to a 2-1 finish. All three of the Current’s road victories in 2022 have been one-goal triumphs.
Career milestones
Several Current players achieved career milestones in last Sunday’s 2-1 win over San Diego. Most notably, team captain and Kansas City midfielder Desiree Scott surpassed 10,000 NWSL minutes played in the 60th minute of the match. Scott became just the 29th player in league history and second Canadian player to reach the 10,000-minute mark.
Kizer’s impressive solo run in the 27th minute led to her fourth goal of the season, tying the club record for most goals in a season and only one shy of her career high. The Overland Park, Kansas, native has scored all four of her goals for Kansas City in 2022 during the team’s unbeaten streak. Mace’s jaw-dropping strike in the 39th minute that soared perfectly into the top corner received national attention, earning the No. 6 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays.
Current midfielder Claire Lavogez made her team debut in the 78th minute of the contest. The French international displayed her immense skill and technical ability over the final quarter-hour of Sunday’s match, an exciting sign of what Current fans can expect moving forward when she takes the field.
Home match
Following Saturday’s match, the Current return home to play Angel City on Friday, Aug. 19. The club is encouraging fans from across the region to #ShowUpKC. The team looks to break the all-time Kansas City attendance record and fill the seats with over 10,000 fans. Visit www.kansascitycurrent.com/tickets for more information on single-match tickets.
Players to watch
Kansas City Current defender Kristen Edmonds — Edmonds, who was one of four Kansas City Current players named to the NWSL July Best XI of the Month, has been a pivotal part of the team’s back line throughout the course of its nine-game unbeaten streak. Her 33 tackles are a team-high, and she also has 32 total clearances and 24 interceptions. Edmonds has played the full 90 minutes in all four of the Current’s shutout victories in the 2022 regular season. She followed up her team of the month nomination with a solid performance against San Diego last Sunday, starting and playing 78 minutes as Kansas City kept the Wave off the board.
North Carolina Courage defender Carson Pickett — Courage defender Carson Pickett was the team’s lone representative in the NWSL July Best XI of the Month. The honor marked Pickett’s second consecutive team of the month selection. She has been a reliable force for the Courage at outside back and a dynamic threat moving forward, with one goal, a team-high three assists and eight successful crosses in the 2022 regular season. Pickett received her first United States Women’s National Team appearance on June 28, a 2-0 friendly win over Colombia.
- Information from KC Current