The later in the year, the shorter the season becomes. We are at that point now, with the Current having just six regular season games left to put themselves in the best possible position for more titles. It bears repeating that Kansas City was in first place five games ago and was undefeated on the season. But it is only since June that this team has truly looked like the world-class team it was in its early months. And right now, they are in the midst of the most difficult part of their season, the stretch that will determine what is a realistic goal to set.
The top eight NWSL teams advance to the playoffs in a single elimination match. The top four teams advance to the quarterfinals and the top two seeds advance to the semifinals. And then a champion is crowned at CPKC Stadium. That means that if the Current can work their way back up to second place (first place is probably out of reach, with Orlando still holding a 9-point lead), KC would have guaranteed home-court advantage through the playoffs. championship game. The Current have a big advantage when playing at home – better record, many more goals scored, etc. So the desire to reach one of the top two places in the league cannot be underestimated.
The final standings will likely be decided largely over the next two weekends. Last Friday, KC started this busy stretch relatively positively, traveling to Orlando and securing a 0-0 draw (and the point that came with it). However, with both Washington and Gotham picking up wins, KC dropped to fourth place, a single point behind NY/NJ and five behind Washington. The next two opponents on the schedule? Washington and Gotham. These next two games are important.
Despite losing to Orlando in early July, KC came out of the Olympic break feeling good. The team won every game in two non-league tournaments and even lifted its first trophy. But then they traveled to the nation’s capital and suffered their worst defeat in over a year. The strange thing about the 4-1 loss was that in many ways they didn’t play that badly. They had an unfortunate turnover and their marking was a little lax in a few key moments, and that was the game. They still had more shots on goal than their hosts and seemed the better team for long stretches.
The Spirit have kept that momentum going, picking up 7 points in their three games since then, putting them five points ahead of KC. A Spirit win on Friday would likely end any chance KC has of catching them. A Current win, on the other hand, would cut Washington’s lead to two points. (The Spirit have one game left in Orlando, so a two-point deficit would be manageable.)
Washington has gone through a major personnel development since the last time these teams met: Rookie of the Year favorite Croix Bethune tore her meniscus during the ceremonial first pitch at a Nationals baseball game and will be out for the rest of the year. This is a big loss for the team. But they still have Trinity Rodman, Ashley Hatch, Leicy Santos, Ouleymata Sarr, Andi Sullivan, Casey Krueger, etc., who make up an impressive roster. Last time they easily dispatched the Houston Dash 3-0.
The Currents, meanwhile, are trying to get relatively healthy for the final stretch. Michelle Cooper and Bia both played last weekend, and Desi Scott, Nichelle Prince and Elizabeth Ball have earned regular playing time of late. The team will continue to be without its two young prospects, with Pfeiffer out for the remainder of the season and Hutton away with the U-20s battling for a third-place finish at the World Championships. (Hutton also suffered a concussion that kept her out of the last two games. Hopefully that’s not a long-term problem.) After making some nice saves in Orlando, Schult appears to have replaced Franch as the No. 1 goalkeeper in the lineup, and Wheeler continues to split her time between midfield and defense.
This season is at a turning point for the Kansas City Current. If the team loses either of their next two games (at home to Washington and then Gotham), they’re likely locked in a 4th place finish and a difficult path to the championship. However, if they can play to their abilities, beat the two teams directly ahead of them in the standings, pull off the rest of their schedule, and carry a lot of momentum into the playoffs, fans in the heartland can dream big. It would be especially encouraging if Chawinga, Bia, Debinha, Cooper, LaBonta, DiBernardo (who may be coming off a minor injury from last weekend), etc. can string together passes, crack Washington’s defense, and return to the form that saw them score nearly 5 goals per game to begin with. When this team trots onto the field on Friday night, watch out!
WHEN: Friday, September 20, 7:00 p.m. (Central Time)
WHERE: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, MO
HOW TO WATCH: Prime Video
Record:
KC currently: 11-6-3 (39 points, 4th place in the NWSL league table)
Washington Spirit: 14-2-4 (44 points, 2nd place in the NWSL league table)
Last game:
KC Current: 0-0 away game against Orlando Pride
Washington Spirit: 3-0 home win against Houston Dash
