Kansas City Current dominated the league in goal scoring during the 2024 NWSL regular season. They're led by Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga, and the roster has 19 different goal scorers. Now, 57 goals later, the fourth-seeded Current will kick off their playoff journey on Saturday when they host North Carolina Courage at CPKC Stadium.
The club has earned all the attacking praise this year. Led by head coach Vlatko Andonovski, former U.S. women's national team manager, Kansas City's midseason trajectory from clinical offense to defensive shapeshifters makes them a complete package heading into the postseason.
Let's take a look at what makes Kansas City Current so dangerous:
How they got here
Kansas City's return to the playoffs after a second-to-last-place finish in 2023 starts with major offseason acquisitions on staff and the roster ahead of the 2024 NWSL season. The club immediately hired Vlatko Andonovski as head coach and sporting director following the 11th-place finish in 2023. Andonovski was just months removed from his resignation from the national team after the disappointment of an early exit in the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.
The deal was a logical one. The Current brought Andonovski home, to NWSL and Kansas City, where he achieved success with the Current's predecessor, FC Kansas City, winning two NWSL Championship titles. The NWSL is where he sharpened his coaching skills, developed players, and won. Now in his first year back in the NWSL since October 2019, Andnovoski is back in the postseason with Kansas City.
Additional offseason international signings with Chawinga and Brazilian international Bia Zaneratto further elevated the teams' profile as they stepped onto CPKC Stadium, the first-ever stadium built for an NWSL club. They also kept an eye on the future with young players signed through the Under-18 mechanism, with 16-year-old Alex Pfeiffer and 18-year-old Claire Hutton -- Hutton has since become a regular starter within the midfield and has garnered plenty of rookie of the year praise.
Their season can be broken into two halves, the early phase where quick transitions often broke through mainly Chawinga, or Zaneratto, while simply outscoring their opponents, but often conceding. Acquisitions in the summer window brought sweeping changes, either due to injury or performance, moves needed to happen, and the arrival of Almiuth Schutl, Alana Cook, and Kayla Sharples has redefined Kansas City as an equally threatening defensive contender.
Key players
Temwa Chawinga: The Golden Boot winner who shattered a single-season record. Defenders haven't figured out how to contain her, and her teammates thrive when she's on the pitch. She led the league in goals (20) and her 96 shot-creating actions are second in the league. No other player has been more essential to a club's success this year, and even with other goal scorers on the team, she's god-tier.
Almuth Schult: The goalkeeper arrived at just the right time to help steer the defense back on course. At one point in the season Kansas City led the league in goals allowed, but Schult aided the defense in multiple clean sheets (5) to close out the regular season. Her veteran presence and quick chemistry with Cook and Sharples have flipped the narrative to respect Kansas City's defense.
Game changers
Michelle Cooper: The club made a big trade to move up in the 2023 NWSL draft and selected Cooper and in her sophomore season the move is paying off. The 21-year-old is a former Mac Hermann trophy winner, and her elevated play this season has kept the Current's attack unpredictable. Third on the team in total shots (39) she'll keep opposing defenders honest on the wing.
Vanessa DiBernardo: The league veteran has played in NWSL since 2014 and she's had a renaissance season with Kansas City. Her five goals and six assists make her a crucial component of the Current's connectivity. DiBernardo's ability to be a quiet ball winner makes her a stealthy threat in possession.
How they'll advance
Kansas City will go up against a possessive-minded North Carolina Courage on Saturday. The playoffs are where anything can happen, and while the Courage have had constant struggles on the road this season, they have two narrow losses and a win against the Current.
The Courage are no strangers to retaining the ball but haven't been shy about changing things up tactically when needed. Head coach Sean Nahas has rolled the team out in a three-back before, and with so many different threats for Kansas City, maybe they'll fight fire with fire. The Current have the home field on their side, and the head-to-head this season, they'll want to get on the board before halftime and keep the momentum of the game on their side.
How to watch
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 9 | Time: 12 p.m. ET
- Location: CPKC Stadium -- Kansas City, Missour1
- TV: CBS
