Kansas City Played 3 Games in 8 Days - What You Need To Know

It’s been a busy week for Kansas City Current players and fans alike, as they just concluded a three game week on Saturday. With one away game and two home games, the team went 1-1-1, mustering four points out of eight days. Facing a dilapidated roster as a result of injury, tired legs, and international duty, it is a bit of a surprise that Kansas City was able to achieve such a performance, including a goal differential of +3. Here’s some insight into this week’s happenings.

What Looks Good?

Croix Bethune, Haley Hopkins, Debinha Chemistry

Since arriving in Kansas City, it's been evident that Croix Bethune’s field vision and IQ is bar none when it comes to feeding her teammates. With several games still left in the season, Bethune has already set the single season assist record for Kansas City (7). The offense moves around her like a well-oiled machine, and she finds passes that other players can’t even see before they happen. It’s easy to see why Kansas City’s offense has become so formidable, especially with the likes of Temwa Chawinga, Michelle Cooper, and Debinha. However, the Current don’t have the luxury of relying on two of those players at the moment. Cooper is recovering from injury, and Chawinga is displaying a historic performance at WAFCON for the time being. Stepping up to the plate, particularly in the team’s 5-1 win versus Racing Louisville on Wednesday, are Debinha and Haley Hopkins. Together, the two players combined for four goals and an assist in the victory. Hopkins also had the tying goal versus Angel City on Saturday, scoring three goals in just two games. Since the departure of Ally Sentnor, the player has stepped into the attacking role and has really started to find herself more. The connections between Hopkins, Bethune, and Debinha have been a driving force of Kansas City’s offense, leading to several opportunities and goals alike. The trio’s efforts have not only kept the team afloat without some of their star players, but have brought the team crucial points in the NWSL standings. 

Laney Rouse and Amelia White Stepping Up

With injury on the rise in Kansas City, some less-familiar faces have had the chance to make an impression. Notably, young players Laney Rouse and Amelia White have made their way into the starting lineup this season. Rouse had started a few times before this week, and has continued to earn minutes since. White has seen some minutes before as well, and versus Louisville and Los Angeles, got her second and third starts of the season. Rouse, positioned opposite of veteran Izzy Rodriguez, has created various opportunities from driving and distributing from the wing, similar to her veteran counterpart. White has been playing confident as well, and earned her first NWSL regular season goal versus Louisville on Wednesday. Both players are playing really confidently, and if they can stay healthy (Rouse missed Saturday due to injury), provide incredibly promising options for Kansas City’s roster moving forward. 

The Fortress

The Current don’t lose at home. Feel free to knock on wood, but it's all proven in the statistics. CPKC has not seen a loss in 26 games. The only regular season loss that occurred there was July 6th, 2024 against Orlando, over two years ago. Other than that, Kansas City has lost at home one other time, the absolutely heartbreaking defeat versus Gotham in the 2025 postseason. The two home games this week proved that yet again. Even when teams like Angel City score first, Kansas City still finds ways to get back in the game. Obviously, every team has a home field advantage, but this feels like something more. Every game this season has occurred in front of a sold out crowd of 11,500 fans. The “twelfth man” as they’ve come to be known, are loud and rowdy, and are led by a drum section (Surface Tension) and two supporter sections (Undertow and KC Blue Crew) that fill the air with chants and cheers all match long. The environment is bar none, and few teams make it out unscathed. 

Temwa is Still Temwa

Overseas at WAFCON, Malawi is making history in their first ever appearance at the tournament. The team started with a 3-2 shootout versus ten time WAFCON champion Nigeria, before defeating Egypt 3-1. The win against Nigeria was historic in and of itself, as not only was it Malawi’s first ever win at WAFCON, but it was also the first time in tournament history that a first-time competitor defeated the reigning champion. The two wins have almost guaranteed Malawi’s advancement into the next stage. Chawinga herself scored three of the team’s six total goals and has one assist so far. Temwa’s sister, Tabitha Chawinga, scored against Nigeria as well. The star is clearly still in great shape, and as much as Kansas City misses her, there is still history to be made for Malawi. 

What Needs Work?

Anti-Road Warriors

This one is low hanging fruit. Sure, Kansas City can’t lose at home, but they can barely win on the road. All of the seven losses this season have been on the road, and only two games have been wins. At Boston last Saturday, the Current went down a goal in the 18th minute and simply could not score for the remaining 72 minutes on the board. With all the firepower Kansas City has, there is a huge discrepancy between performance at home and performance on the road, and something isn’t adding up. Could it be recovery, the travel itself, coaching, or a completely different factor? No team with this much potential should be struggling as much as it is based on the location of the match. And as great as CPKC is, a home environment cannot be enough to make this big of a difference in a season. 

Injury

Despite the midseason break just a short while ago, the injury report has not gotten any shorter for the Current. Pivotal players like Michelle Cooper, Ellie Bravo-Young, and Lorena have been out for weeks, even months in the latter two’s case. Kayla Sharples raised some concerns as she attended the Current game on Wednesday not dressed out, although not on the injury report. Chris Armas later noted that the player needed rest after a tough match at Boston last Saturday. Sharples has since been added on to said injury report, along with new addition, Laney Rouse. Other players that have come and gone from the list include Bayley Feist, Lo’eau LaBonta, and Debinha, all players crucial to Kansas City’s performance. It got to the point that KC Current II player, Itala Gemelli, was called up to the senior team to give the staff more options to look at for Saturday’s game. This could easily be one of the reasons the team has struggled with inconsistencies all season long. There are whispers that Lorena and Cooper could be making their return soon, but that time can’t come soon enough for a team that needs to start getting results, at home and on the road. 

Defensive Woes

Although the Kansas City defense is generally strong, with Elizabeth Ball leading it often alongside Gabrielle Robinson and Izzy Rodriguez, there are still questions to be raised about performance in the back third.The Current consistently have struggled this season with letting the other team get the upper hand first, including the tie against Angel City on Saturday and the loss against Boston the Saturday before. Oftentimes, it's an early goal that forces Kansas City to fight an uphill battle for the entire game. Luckily, at home, they’ve been successful in getting comeback wins and ties, but on the road, they haven’t been as lucky. The team rarely has any clean slates, and only one of the team’s road wins was a shutout. Three of the seven losses have been decided by one goal, and the opposing team scored first and early in every single one. By allowing teams have the advantage early on, Kansas City rarely has the ability to play truly relaxed and patiently, constantly forced to rush opportunities.What’s worse is that there’s currently a rotating door on the back line as Kayla Sharples, Ellie Bravo-Young, and now, Laney Rouse work their ways through injury and soreness. The defensive midfield hasn’t quite looked the same since the departure of Clair Hutton either, and veteran Vanessa Dibernardo is just now making a gradual return from maternity leave. Clearly the Current still have a lot to sort out, defensively and offensively, and only a short matter of time to do so before the arrival of postseason.

Kansas City now faces a two game stretch on the road at Houston and Gotham, before returning home to face Seattle on August 22nd. Twelve games remain in the regular season, and every single point matters, starting with finding results while away. Can the Current snag some points in Houston next week? Or will it be yet another empty handed trip back? The game takes place on August 8th, at 7:45pm CST, and will surely be an indicator of what’s to come for the iffy squad.