Tag: NWSL

Current to travel to Houston tonight

The Kansas City Current play the Houston Dash at 730 p.m. tonight, March 30, in the final away match of the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup.

The match will be played at PNC Stadium in Houston, Texas, and will stream live on Paramount+.

Kansas City comes into the match after the team’s first-ever comeback win against the Chicago Red Stars.

Defender Hailie Mace scored first in the 58th minute with a screamer from the top of the penalty box. Later, she assisted Kristen Hamilton on the game-winning goal with a pass over the Chicago back line. The Current won the match 2-1.

The Houston Dash also earned three points off a comeback win over Racing Louisville, after falling behind 2-0 at the half. María Sánchez, Marisa Viggiano and Rachel Daly each scored in the second half for the 3-2 Houston win.

Last meeting

Kansas City defeated the Dash October 13, 2021, in the midst of a seven-game unbeaten streak to close out the inaugural season.

Following a goal from Darian Jenkins, defender Elizabeth Ball scored her first career goal to give Kansas City a 2-0 cushion at halftime.

Midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta converted a penalty late in the game to seal the 3-0 victory for the home side. The three goals represent the most scored by Kansas City in a single game and its largest margin of victory.

Top of the table

By virtue of the Current’s 2-1 victory last week, Kansas City sits atop the Central Division with four points. The Houston Dash and Chicago Red Stars are close behind with three points each.

The 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup features three regional groups of four teams. The groups compete in double round-robin preliminary matches. Following the round-robin portion of the tournament, the winner of each group and then the next top overall team advances to the semifinal round on Wednesday, May 4. The NWSL Challenge Cup Final will be Saturday, May 7.

Establishing identity

The 2022 Kansas City Current has adopted an attacking mentality under head coach Matt Potter. The Current opened the Challenge Cup by outshooting Racing Louisville 24 to 8 in the opening match.

Potter’s team then rallied in Friday’s match, defeating the 2021 NWSL finalist Chicago Red Stars 2-1 to earn the club’s first road victory. Falling behind 1-0 with only two shots at halftime, the Current’s halftime adjustments increased the offensive pressure with seven shots in the second half and two goals.

Players to watch

Kansas City Current: Defender Hailie Mace – Mace joined Kansas City in a trade midway through the 2021 season. After finding some time at forward and midfield, Mace settled in on the defensive back line last season and through the first two matches of the Challenge Cup this year. A defender with an offensive mindset, Mace can often be found bringing the ball over the half and igniting the Current attack.

Houston Dash: Forward Shea Groom – Groom started both matches for Houston so far this season. The Kansas City, Missouri, native was originally drafted in 2015 by FC Kansas City. She joined the Dash before the 2020 season and has 10 goals in 39 appearances for Houston.

  • Story from Kansas City Current

KC Current to play Chicago Friday

The Kansas City Current continue the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup against the Chicago Red Stars at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 25, from SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Illinois. The match will stream live on Paramount+.

Kansas City comes into the match following an opening week draw against Racing Louisville.

Midfielder Addie McCain scored her first professional goal in the 76th minute, pulling the Current even at 1-1.

Despite the score, Kansas City dominated the match in nearly every statistical category. Kansas City’s offense had a league high 24 shots, with nine on target while the team held a nearly 55% possession advantage.

The Chicago Red Stars opened its Challenge Cup schedule last week on the road against the Houston Dash with a 3-1 victory. Forward Mallory Pugh scored two goals with defender Arin Wright scoring a penalty kick in between.

Last meeting

Kansas City traveled to Chicago in October for the team’s final road match of the 2021 season. After an unfortunate bounce led to an early Red Stars goal, defender Hailie Mace scored her first goal with Kansas City late in the opening half. Chicago forward Makenzy Doniak found the game-winner early in the second half, halting a two-game unbeaten streak for KC.

Rookie contributions

All five rookie players on the Kansas City Current roster saw time in last week’s opening Challenge Cup match, with defenders Alex Loera and Jenna Winebrenner starting and playing the full 90 minutes at center back.

“Jenna and Alex have done nothing but stand tall and be accountable for their performance. They showed that they belong on this stage,” head coach Matt Potter said. “The way they went about handling what I believe is one of the best players in this league, in terms of their forward, Jess McDonald. I thought that they handled it very well for a first outing in Challenge Cup.”

Midfielder Chardonnay Curran, defender Izzy Rodriguez and forward Elyse Bennett found their way into the match in the second half. All three contributed to the team’s second half comeback, with Bennett nearly able to find the game-winner late in the match.

Players to watch

Kansas City Current: Forward Kristen Hamilton — Hamilton heads into her eighth NWSL season with three championships, 108 matches and 17 goals. Coming to Kansas City in a blockbuster midseason trade last season, Hamilton has become one of this team’s leaders. Pairing with midfielder Sam Mewis, she looks to improve the Current’s offensive output throughout the season.

Chicago Red Stars: Forward Mal Pugh — Pugh scored a brace in the Red Stars’ opening Challenge Cup match, leading the way to her team’s dominant 3-1 win over the Houston Dash. The U.S. Women’s National team forward joined the Red Stars last season after three years in Washington.

How to watch

Chicago Red Stars vs Kansas City Current
7:30 p.m. Friday, March 25
SeatGeek Stadium
Stream on Paramount+

  • Story from KC Current

KC women’s soccer team reaches draw with Chicago

Next Challenge Cup match to be Monday in KCK

Kansas City NWSL earned its first point of the 2021 Challenge Cup season with a 1-1 draw against the Chicago Red Stars on Wednesday in Chicago.

A defensive battle for most of the night, both teams were able to find the back of the net in the final 10 minutes to end the night tied up at 1-1.

Earlier in the week, head coach Huw Williams talked with media about the strong Chicago midfield, and they proved to be a problem throughout the first half. Kansas City continuously found themselves facing an attack from the Red Stars. Goalkeeper Abby Smith stood strong as she and her defense turned away several attacks and five first-half corner kicks.

At halftime Williams adjusted his team’s focus to bring his attackers inside and try to drive the offense through the middle of the field. The adjustments allowed Kansas City to control possession through the first 15 minutes of the second half. KC added six shots in the second half.

The stalemate was finally broken in the 80th minute. Smith punted the ball from her penalty box two-thirds of the way down the field. When she noticed some confusion between the Chicago defense and their goalkeeper, forward Amy Rodriguez jumped on the bouncing ball and slotted it into the back of the net.

Chicago answered only two minutes later as Katie Johnson converted on a pass from Arin Wright in the 82nd minute.

Both teams pushed towards goal in the final minutes, but neither side could find a goal. The draw earns Kansas City a point in the Challenge Cup tournament, its first in team history.

Kansas City returns home and turns its focus on the Houston Dash, who they are playing host to on Monday, April 26, at home at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on Paramount+.