The Kansas City Current's run to the NWSL Championship began with a victory over OL Reign.
The 2-0 win over the Reign in the semifinals was not a win. The Current will face the Portland Thorns in the NWSL Championship on Saturday in Washington, D.C. It was not the beginning of the current. The Current's stunning turn around from last-place team in 2021 to championship contender in 2022 began more than a year ago, when they defeated OL Reign.
The first-year team in Kansas City had just been known as "KC NWSL." They didn't win a game in the first 13 games of the season. Heading into the match against the Reign, the team had gone 17 games without a win.
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The team's rushed entry into the NWSL resulted in a six-game winning streak at home, which started with a win over the Reign.
The players thought that Kansas City was better than the team's record indicated. The Current finished in last place with 16 points from 24 games and 14 losses.
The team's first win in its history came over the Reign last year. We wanted to move on. They wanted to be somewhere else. It was a pity where they were last year.
Franch arrived in Kansas City via a trade three days after she won her first-ever match. The desire for a fresh start was one of the goals she had with her new team. Franch said that last year's last part was like, "OK, we can do this." It gave us some faith to start this process this year.
Franch arrived in Kansas City last year and the city made a number of big moves, including the acquisition of forwards and defenders. Towards the end of the year, it was clear that the focus was on the field and off the field. Kansas City's appearance in the NWSL Championship is dependent on each player.
Kansas City saved their biggest blockbuster acquisitions after a last place finish. The U.S. women's national team stars were acquired by the Current.
After her time with Manchester City in 2020-21 she was considered to be one of the best in the world. Williams was a top scorer and a forward with the ability to contribute deeper into the game.
Kansas City looked like it was ready to make serious progress in 2022. In the regular season in 2022, neither Mewis nor Williams took the field.
In early August, she was put on the season-ending injury list because of a knee injury that was initially described as minor. She only played in two preseason NWSL Challenge Cup games. Williams was hurt in the final minutes of the team's first game of the year. She was ruled out for the rest of the season because of injuries to her hips.
Before the regular season began, the Current's new centerpiece players were on the shelf, and it was now Matt Potter's problem to deal with -- he took over as head coach of the Current in the off-season, replacing Huw Williams, who moved into a behind-the The US U-23 women were often referred to as the second team for the senior side. He joined because he liked the project.
Potter said this week that he understood what ownership had set in terms of expectations. The way we wanted to play was aligned with my own thoughts. I was so excited about the project that I was grateful that I would have the chance to lead the group. I was in a good place, but this project is something that everyone would love to be involved in.
Potter was aware of the potential on the roster. There was individual talent but what the group needed was direction. The individuals needed the chance to be placed in roles that allowed them to thrive.
Potter went out of his way to establish a fluid 3-6-2 formation and stick with it throughout the season. In that system, the Current got career years from two NWSL journey women.
The anchor of the back three was Elizabeth Ball. Mace and Kate Del Fava excelled as wingbacks with two-way responsibilities. Before scoring the game-winning goal in the semifinals, he was a center-back and defensiveMidfielder, but also played a more advanced position in the middle.
Cece Kizer led the team in goals with seven, but five of them were penalties. She and Hamilton formed a productive partnership up top after she was traded from Racing Louisville FC.
The Kansas City Current will play for the NWSL title after a 2-0 win over OL Reign.
She tore herACL in the opening match of the playoffs and won't be able to play in the NWSL Championship. Potter was able to adapt the system to the personnel he had available and find the right player for the right role.
At the beginning, Kansas City did not impress anyone. The Current qualified for the Challenge Cup semifinals by winning their division, but the regular season started with a loss to the Thorns. After losing four of their first five games, the Current beat Louisville by a single point.
They were in contention for the NWSL Shield by the middle of September after a 13-game winning streak. They had to go on the road to beat the Houston Dash in order to make the final after slipping to fifth on the final weekend.
The Current moved into a training facility in June that the owners said cost $18 million. It immediately put Kansas City among the very best training facilities in the NWSL and it served as proof of the team's long-term vision.
The feeling of investment from owners was new for some players who came from less ideal teams. When the team, plucked from Utah, had no name or identity, the training center's sense of permanence was missing. The first season of "KC NWSL" was awkward but part of a pragmatic approach that allowed the club to vet potential names and crests. The temporary red-and-teal color scheme was a hit, and leadership eventually landed on the "Current" water-themed name, debuting it at halftime of the season finale.
The club played their home games last year at a baseball stadium, which is across the parking lot from a soccer stadium. The average attendance at the baseball stadium was in the middle of the pack at just under 5,000, but field conditions were inconsistent and the game presentation was not up to par.
It had been that everything in Kansas City looked hurried. Few doubted the commitment of the ownership group of the Longs and Brittany, while most sympathized with them having only a three-month window between acquiring a team and playing competitive matches.
A rough season filled with losses and question marks began to show signs of progress despite initial bumps.
Almost exactly one year ago, the club announced that it would build a privately funded stadium. The first purpose-built NWSL team will be 11,500 seats. The players saw the long-term vision as they started to see some victories on the field. Despite its quick start, they realized there was potential.
The team moved out of the baseball diamond to the park across the street where they will play until their new stadium is built. The club expects to sell out all of their home games in the new stadium, according to Allison Howard.
"Obviously, we had already seen the investment that the ownership was already putting into the club towards that latter end of the season when we unveiled our new branding, new stadium," Hamilton said this week. They believed in us and were going to keep investing in us and push us to be the team they thought we could be.
The investments help you push yourself to where you want to go.
In the NWSL Championship, Kansas City is the favorite. The Thorns have played in four playoff finals and are looking for their third. Even though their journey this year included a coaching change and team makeover of its own on the field, and club changes, firings and fan distrust off the field, they are still perennial contender.
The Current defeated Houston in the first round of the playoffs. She said after the win that she was just living in the moment and celebrating her first playoff win in seven years.
LaBonta said that he wasn't tearing up like some of the other players. It pays out in the end because a lot of us were on the team last year and we put in a lot of work.
Lo'eau LaBonta had us worried there for a second. 😅 pic.twitter.com/VROBFrdz7A
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) August 20, 2022
The Shield-winning OL Reign were defeated 2-0 in the semifinals. Franch made seven saves. In the first half, the save of the Reign forward's open head from six yards out was one of the most amazing.
In the second half, Franch said her favorite save was when she cleared a ball off the line. Even though attention was focused on her performance, Franch didn't give praise to her teammates. This run to the NWSL Championship is based on what they went through in 2021.
The players that transitioned from last year's team to this year's team went through a lot. They embraced us when we arrived because they were still going through the same things. We were able to feel like we were part of the team.
The team's joy is visible in the Current. LaBonta made global headlines in August for her fake-hamstring injury-turned-twerk celebration. Current players have prepared a variety of celebrations. One more chance to celebrate how far they've come in a short amount of time, from a last-place team looking for their first win.
Potter said that they get to continue their journey right now. Everything is in there." The fact that we get to play one more game and be together another week is pretty exciting.
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