Kansas City Current
American professional women's soccer team in Kansas City, Missouri
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Kansas City Current are an American professional soccer team based in Kansas City, Missouri, that competes in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). It was founded as an expansion team in 2021. The team plays its home games at CPKC Stadium. They reached the NWSL Championship in 2022, finishing as a runner-up. In 2025, they won the NWSL Shield with the best record in the regular season, setting several NWSL team records.
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| Founded | December 6, 2020, as Kansas City NWSL | |||
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| Stadium | CPKC Stadium Kansas City, Missouri | |||
| Capacity | 11,500 | |||
| Owners | Angie Long Chris Long Brittany Mahomes Patrick Mahomes | |||
| President | Raven Jemison | |||
| Head coach | Chris Armas | |||
| League | National Women's Soccer League | |||
| 2025 | Regular season: 1st of 14 Playoffs: Quarterfinals | |||
| Website | kansascitycurrent.com | |||
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History
Establishment
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The Kansas City area last had an NWSL team in 2017, when two-time champions FC Kansas City ceased operations and its player-related assets were transferred to expansion team Utah Royals FC.[1] Three years later, the Royals also had to cease operations after controversies from the team's owner Dell Loy Hansen,[2] and a Kansas City-based ownership group led by financial executives Angie and Chris Long took advantage to secure an expansion team along with the Royals' player-related assets on December 7, 2020.[3] Brittany Mahomes, wife of NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, a former college soccer player at University of Texas at Tyler and fitness trainer, purchased a stake in the team as well.[4] In January 2023, Patrick became a member of the ownership group as well.[5]
2021–present
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The Longs named Huw Williams, former general manager of FC Kansas City, as the team's inaugural head coach.[3] The franchise played their first season as Kansas City NWSL, playing their home matches at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kansas, but ended their first season in Kansas City with 16 points from 24 games, 14 of which were losses.[2]
Huw Williams was relieved of duties as manager and replaced with Matt Potter for the 2022 season, but remained with the franchise as director of soccer operations[2] until November 2022 when it was revealed he was confronted by the team's roster for disrespectful and inappropriate behavior. This came in light of the NWSL's league-wide Yates Report.[6] In May 2022, the team hired Allison Howard as its first team president.[7] Kansas City unveiled their new team branding as Kansas City Current for the 2022 season, and relocated their home matches to the nearby Children's Mercy Park, in Kansas City, Kansas. A team training facility and headquarters opened in Riverside, Missouri in June 2022,[8] and in July 2022 the ownership group announced plans for their future stadium in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.[9][10] The club made significant roster moves with the additions of Sam Mewis and Lynn Williams from the North Carolina Courage,[11][12] and Claire Lavogez from Bordeaux.[13] All three players would not finish the season on the roster due to season-ending injuries, the likes of which kept both Mewis and Williams from playing a single game in the regular season.[2][8] The Current had a 13-match unbeaten streak in the middle of their 2022 campaign,[2] propelling the team to their first playoff appearance in the 2022 NWSL Playoffs, and an eventual matchup against the Portland Thorns in the NWSL Championship.[8][14] Portland would go on to defeat Kansas City 2–0 in the matchup.
In 2023, the Current had a poor regular season showing, finishing 11th out of 12 teams, but had advanced to the semifinals of the 2023 NWSL Challenge Cup, where they lost to the tournament's eventual champion, North Carolina Courage. After three matches into the season, the team parted ways with Matt Potter as head coach and named Caroline Sjöblom as interim head coach for the remainder of the season.[15][16][17][18] In the club's final match at Children's Mercy Park, the attendance was over 15,671,[19] in what will now stand as a club record as they moved into CPKC Stadium.[20] In October 2023, the team hired former U.S. women's national team and FC Kansas City manager Vlatko Andonovski to lead the team.[21][22]
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CPKC Stadium held its first match between the Current and the Portland Thorns on March 16, 2024. Kansas City won the match 5–4 in front of a sell-out crowd. Rookie Alex Pfeiffer became NWSL's youngest goalscorer (16) in the match, and the overall goals tied a record for most in a single match in NWSL history.[23] The team's offense was bolstered by newly-signed forward Temwa Chawinga, who became the first player in NWSL history to score 20 goals in a season, and would be awarded the NWSL Golden Boot.[24][25] The Current finished the season scoring a league-record 57 goals, made by 18 different players, another NWSL record. They won two regular season trophies–the inaugural Summer Cup against NJ/NY Gotham FC and The Women's Cup against Atlético Madrid Femenino. The team lost in the semifinal round of the NWSL playoffs against the Orlando Pride.[26] Chawinga was voted NWSL's Most Valuable Player.[27] With their new purpose-built stadium, the Current became the first NWSL team to sell out every home match.[28]
In October 2025, after going undefeated in 17 consecutive matches and with two games remaining in the regular season, the Current broke the NWSL record for points in a regular season campaign. It had previously stood at 60, established by the Orlando Pride in 2024. At the end of the season, the Current set new season records for most wins (21), most points (65), and most clean sheets (16).[29] In the first round of the NWSL playoffs, the top-seeded Current lost to 8-seed (and eventual NWSL Champion) Gotham FC 2–1 after extra time.[30] Days after the playoff loss, Vlatko Andonovski relinquished his head coaching duties in order to solely become the team's full-time sporting director.[31] Temwa Chawinga was named NWSL MVP for the second consecutive season,[32] making her the first NWSL player to receive that award in two consecutive seasons.[33] Prior to the 2026 NWSL season, the club hired Chris Armas as the club's next head coach.[34][35]
Colors and crest
Due to the short turnaround between the team's founding and the 2021 NWSL season, the ownership announced in January 2021 that the team would play its inaugural season under the temporary name Kansas City NWSL with temporary crest and colors; a full brand development process would take place so that a permanent team name, crest, and colors will be in place for the 2022 NWSL season.[36]
On October 30, 2021, the team revealed its permanent name as Kansas City Current with a new crest for the 2022 season.[37]
Kit suppliers and sponsors
| Period | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor | Sleeve sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Nike | Palmer Square Capital Management[38] | Blue KC[39] |
| 2022–2023 | Saint Luke's Health System[40] | ||
| 2024– | United Way of Greater Kansas City[41] |
Kit history
      2021 home
|
   2021 away
|
  2022–23 home
|
  2022 away
|
 2023 away
|
   2024– home
|
 2024– away
|
Stadium
From 2021 to 2023, Kansas City played home matches at Legends Field (2021)[42] and Children's Mercy Park (2022–2023) in Kansas City, Kansas.[43]
CPKC Stadium
In October 2021, the club unveiled plans to construct the first purpose-built stadium built exclusively for women's professional soccer. The stadium was built in Kansas City, Missouri, at the Richard L. Berkley Riverfront Park with a capacity of 11,500 and estimated cost of $117 million. The project was proposed to be entirely privately financed through the ownership group, with the team signing a 50-year lease for the site at which the stadium will be located.[44] The costs increased from $70 millions to an estimated $117 million in May 2022, which the club's owners attributed to construction costs and a redesign increasing the stadium's capacity from 11,000 to 11,500. Angie and Chris Long requested $6 million in tax credits from the state of Missouri to supplement their private funding, in part because the lease agreement prohibited them from pursuing any local tax incentives.[45] The stadium was completed in 2024. The first match was held on March 16, 2024, in which the Current defeated the Portland Thorns by a score of 5–4.[2]
Through the first two seasons at CPKC Stadium, the Current have sold out every single match.
Supporters
The Blue Crew, a supporters group of the defunct FC Kansas City, has continued to support the new NWSL team in Kansas City.[46] Other supporter groups include Surface Tension (drumline) and The Undertow.[47][48]
Broadcasting
On June 13, 2021, CBS affiliate KCTV agreed on a multi-year deal to become the official local television partner through the 2023 season (in addition to any matches already scheduled by CBS Sports for national broadcast). The station and its MyNetworkTV affiliate KSMO-TV will broadcast eight matches locally in the club's inaugural season. Brad Porter will serve as the play-by-play commentator, joined by Aly Trost as the color analyst.[49]
Kansas City Current II
The Current founded an affiliated reserves team in the amateur Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) in 2022.[50][51] Under head coach Huw Williams, The team finished its first regular season atop the WPSL's Heartland Division with an 8–0–0 record, +49 goal differential on 47 total goals scored (including an opponent's forfeit), second-most in the league.[52] In postseason play, the Current II defeated FC Milwaukee Torrent 7–0 on July 7, 2022, and then defeated Indios Denver FC 6–1 on July 16,[53] before falling to Colorado Rapids Women 3–2 in the Central Region finals on July 17.[54]
In November 2022, Huw Williams departed from the club.[55] The Kansas City Current II club was left off the schedule for the 2023 season.[56][57]
In June 2025, the team competed in The Soccer Tournament or TST in Cary, N.C., at WakeMed Soccer Park. The TST roster included 7 active college players along with 3 recently graduated collegiate players.[58] Two other NWSL teams fielded TST squads with Angel City 7's and North Carolina Courage who call WakeMed Soccer Park home. Ultimately KC Current II finished third in their group with 1 win, 2 losses and a 0 goal differential (9 goals for, 9 allowed). Their lone win came, 6-3, against Wrexham Red Dragons owned by Rob McElhenney (Rob Mac) and Ryan Reynolds.[59]
In July 2025, the Kansas City Current formally established Kansas City Current II with a full launch - the first NWSL team to fully form a second team. As a full-time, fully funded partner to the first team, the goal is to bridge youth and college players to top-tier soccer. Vasil Ristov will serve as the first coach of the full Kansas City Current II. In conjunction with the announcement, ground was broken for "Riverside Stadium", a new 2,000 seat stadium in Riverside, MO, along a Performance Center to include additional locker rooms, expansion of the Current's grass and turf practice fields and training facilities to serve the new year-round club. All three facilities, bring the Current’s total investment in player facilities in Riverside to $52 million.[60]
KC Current II would compete in the proposed NWSL Division 2. It was reported in April 2025 the NWSL had proposed a second division league with eight teams already signed on and would require all NWSL teams to have an affiliate within the first four years of the new league. The launch date for NWSL Division 2 would be 2026 as a developmental tier under the NWSL, which has been a first-division league since its inception in late 2012. This would create a new pipeline to the NWSL after the dissolution of the NWSL Draft. The new venture still has to meet sanctioning from U.S. Soccer, but a second-division women's professional league must have at least six teams to apply for sanctioning and all stadiums must seat at least 2,000 people, and principal owners of teams must have a net worth of at least $7.5 million.[61]
Players and staff
Current squad
- As of March 21, 2026.[62]
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | GK |  USA |
Clare Gagne |
| 1 | GK | USA |
Marisa Jordan |
| 2 | DF | USA |
Laney Rouse |
| 3 | FW | USA |
Amelia White |
| 4 | DF | USA |
Meila Brewer |
| 5 | DF | USA |
Ellie Bravo-Young |
| 6 | FW |  MWI |
Temwa Chawinga |
| 7 | DF | USA |
Elizabeth Ball |
| 8 | MF | USA |
Croix Bethune |
| 10 | MF | USA |
Lo'eau LaBonta |
| 11 | MF |  CRC |
Rocky Rodríguez |
| 12 | FW | USA |
Gianna Paul |
| 13 | FW | USA |
Haley Hopkins |
| 15 | DF | USA |
Alana Cook |
| 16 | MF | USA |
Vanessa DiBernardo |
| 17 | FW | USA |
Michelle Cooper |
| 18 | DF | USA |
Izzy Rodriguez |
| 19 | FW | USA |
Mary Long |
| 21 | MF | USA |
Ally Sentnor |
| 22 | MF | USA |
Bayley Feist |
| 23 | GK |  BRA |
Lorena |
| 24 | DF | USA |
Gabrielle Robinson |
| 27 | DF | USA |
Kayla Sharples |
| 31 | DF | USA |
Katie Scott |
| 33 | GK | USA |
Katie Cappelletti |
| 34 | MF | USA |
Kelsey Branson |
| 44 | DF | USA |
Kolo Suliafu |
| 55 | FW | USA |
Penelope Hocking |
| 66 | FW |  IRL |
Kyra Carusa (on loan from HB Køge) |
| 99 | MF | BRA |
Debinha |
Out on loan
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | FW |  ANG |
Flora Marta Lacho (at HB Køge) |
| — | FW |  ZAM |
Fridah Mukoma (at Beijing Jingtan FC) |
Technical staff
- As of November 14, 2025.[63]
| General Manager | Ryan Dell |
| Sporting Director |  Vlatko Andonovski |
| Head Coach | Chris Armas |
| Assistant Coach |  Freya Coombe |
| Assistant Coach |  Milan Ivanovic |
| Assistant Coach |  Lucas Rodríguez |
| Goalkeeping Coach | Ljupčo Kmetovski |
| Director of Performance | Garga Caserta |
| Head of Scouting & Analytics |  Kate Cohen |
| Head Strength Coach | Joseph Potts |
| Performance Analyst | Tara O'Brian |
Notable players
FIFA World Cup participants
List of players that were called up for a FIFA Women's World Cup while playing for Kansas City Current. In brackets, the tournament played:
Honors
Domestic competitions
League championship(s): (0)
- NWSL Championship
- Runners-up (1): 2022
Regular season championship(s): (1)
- NWSL Shield
- Winners (1): 2025
League cup(s): (1)
- NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup
- Champions (1): 2024
Records
Year-by-year
As of the 2025 regular season[64]
| Season | League | Regular season | Playoffs | Challenge Cup | Summer Cup | W Champions Cup | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Pos | ||||||
| 2021 | NWSL | 24 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 15 | 36 | −21 | 16 | 10th | DNQ | Group stage | Not held | Not held |
| 2022 | NWSL | 22 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 29 | 29 | 0 | 36 | 5th | Runners-up | Semifinals | ||
| 2023 | NWSL | 22 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 30 | 36 | −6 | 26 | 11th | DNQ | Semifinals | ||
| 2024 | NWSL | 26 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 57 | 31 | +26 | 55 | 4th | Semifinals | DNQ | Champions | DNQ |
| 2025 | NWSL | 26 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 49 | 13 | +36 | 65 | 1st | Quarterfinals | DNQ | Not held | DNQ |
Head coaches
As of January 7, 2026[update].
Only competitive matches are counted. Includes NWSL regular season, playoffs, and Challenge Cup matches.
| Coach | Nat. | Tenure | Games | Win | Loss | Draw | Win % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huw Williams |  Wales |
January 29, 2021 – November 18, 2021 | 28 | 3 | 17 | 8 | 10.71 |
| Matt Potter | England |
January 11, 2022 – April 19, 2023 | 35 | 16 | 7 | 12 | 45.71 |
| Caroline Sjöblom |  Finland |
April 19, 2023 – October 23, 2023 | 27 | 13 | 11 | 3 | 48.15 |
| Vlatko Andonovski | North Macedonia |
October 23, 2023 – November 14, 2025 | 60 | 43 | 9 | 8 | 71.67 |
| Chris Armas |  United States |
January 7, 2026 – present |
Attendance
Home match largest attendance
Top 10 as of October 14, 2024
| Date | Season | Score | Opponent | Venue | City | Attendance | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 7, 2023 | 2023 | 6–3 | Chicago Red Stars | Children's Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas | 15,671 | [65] |
| August 18, 2023 | 2023 | 1–0 | OL Reign | 13,455 | [66] | ||
| May 14, 2023 | 2023 | 0–2 | San Diego Wave FC | 12,969 | [67] | ||
| September 1, 2023 | 2023 | 0–1 | Angel City FC | 11,827 | [68] | ||
| September 28, 2024 | 2024 | 1–1 | NJ/NY Gotham FC | CPKC Stadium | Kansas City, Missouri | 11,500 | [69] |
| September 24, 2024 | 2024 | 3–0 | Washington Spirit | 11,500 | [70] | ||
| September 7, 2024 | 2024 | 1–0 | Utah Royals | 11,500 | [71] | ||
| July 6, 2024 | 2024 | 1–2 | Orlando Pride | 11,500 | [72] | ||
| June 28, 2024 | 2024 | 2–0 | Houston Dash | 11,500 | [73] | ||
| Seven additional matches | 2024 | — | 11,500 | [74] | |||
Regular season attendance
| Season | Results | Attendance | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | League | Regular season | Playoffs | Average | Largest | Smallest | Ref. |
| 2021 | NWSL | 10th of 10 | DNQ | 4,861 | 5,438 (Oct. 10 vs. POR) |
3,449 (Oct. 13 vs. HOU) |
[75][76][77] |
| 2022 | NWSL | 5th of 12 | Finals | 7,657 | 10,395 (Aug. 19 vs. ANG) |
5,695 (Jun. 11 vs. GFC) |
[78] |
| 2023 | NWSL | 11th of 12 | DNQ | 11,353 | 15,671 (Oct. 7 vs. CHI) |
9,644 (Jun. 18 vs. WAS) |
[79] |
| 2024 | NWSL | 4th of 14 | Semi-finals | 11,500 | 11,500 (All games sold out) |
11,500 (All games sold out) | |
See also
- Sports in the Kansas City metropolitan area
- DePrice Taylor, Executive Director of Community Relations for the Current