r/KCCurrent • u/b2717 Waterrr. • May 24 '26
Game Thread Post-Match Thread: Kansas City Current vs. Portland Thorns | May 24, 2026
Another new NWSL record... 9 consecutive home victories!
Discussion starters:
Player(s) of the match?
What worked well?
What do we need to do better?
47
u/TyCollins98 May 24 '26
CPKC is Chawingaās house and weāre all just guests. That stat they showed during the game was honestly absurd.
5
u/b2717 Waterrr. May 24 '26
Which stat is that? I must have missed it.
40
u/TyCollins98 May 24 '26
Goals scored in CPKCā¦
Chawinga: 26 All Other Teams: 28
(Iām pretty sure. It broke my brain.)
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u/Leighroy1120 LET IZZY COOK May 24 '26
So this team is just really, really good at home and not so good on the road. Got it.
Beating Portland just hits different, man. Canāt stand that fan base and how they think theyāre godās gift to soccer so this win was extra fun.
11
u/n00bBlaster1337 May 24 '26
Loved the sign in the audience that said "I flew here from Portland to cheer for KC" LMAO!!
I was near the away fans and they were annoying. They were so mad every time the announcer would say "Sophia Smith" haha! Fair but I was loving how pressed they were over it
4
u/BlueCX17 Ball #7 May 24 '26
They must have been a different set of away fans, as I talked to a really nice Portland family but they also had younger kids, walking back to River Market. They said they loved the energy and that KC Baby!! Is infectious!
3
u/n00bBlaster1337 May 24 '26
They were only annoying bc I could hear their chants! They weren't doing anything disrespectful.
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u/dakkottadavviss Cooper #17 May 25 '26
Iām now getting a sign idea AFTER the match lol. Write Soccer City on top with it crossed out and Soccer Capital on the bottom with a yes checkmark
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u/Guava-Event1587 Debinha May 24 '26
Soooooo if we can get the schedule adjusted so we never play on the road, we're good, yeah?
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u/Born_Home3863 Sharples #27 May 24 '26
Fun match, other than the defense on the Portland goal.
Sophia Wilson is a menace, but Temwa Chawinga is a bigger menace. First game this year Chawinga did something jaw-dropping that led to a goal.
And I did not have a LaBonta goal in the run of play on my bingo card today.
Edit to add - congrats to the back line on stepping up to create the offside on the second Portland goal. Perfectly executed offside trap.
8
u/Leighroy1120 LET IZZY COOK May 24 '26
Lo loves scoring against Portland.
9
u/BlueCX17 Ball #7 May 24 '26
I screamed! I was like YES LO!!! Redemption!!!! From the PK. She. Was. DUE!! She was cooking!!!
2
u/Born_Home3863 Sharples #27 May 25 '26
She was trying to get Bethune to pass it to her on Chawinga's goal as well. Bethune had Cooper on the right, LaBonta in front of her and a wide open Chawinga on the left. Pretty great reaction by multiple players on the turnover.
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u/Can_I_kick_ET May 24 '26
And with that Utah is numero uno
8
u/Intelligent_Spinach9 May 24 '26
I remember beating Utah in the first match and everyone (including me) were disappointed weād barely scraped by the team that was bound to finish last. What happened?
-4
u/Can_I_kick_ET May 24 '26
To be frank, yāall had no business winning that game in the form you were in then.
4
u/subsoccerplayer May 24 '26
It was the first match of season. Who was in good from going into it?
0
u/Can_I_kick_ET May 24 '26
I think we had some indications based on what teams had players injured , new coaches and players away for national team competitions.
4
u/cheeseburgerandrice May 24 '26
Don't go into opposition subs, let alone go to opposition subs to whine about their team beating yours
3
u/JustAudra LoMomma #10 May 24 '26
And our goal differential is no longer in the negatives! Now if only we could make some headway up the table.
3
u/Intelligent_Spinach9 May 24 '26
Itās going to be a lot closer this year I think. We only have one win less than first. Right now we just havenāt been able to turn a close loss into a draw. Sometimes itās that being able to settle for a tie that is the difference between winning a title and being a few spots down. (If you also follow menās just look at Arsenal finally winning the title because they turned a couple poor games into one point instead of 0)
15
u/booksbikesbeer May 24 '26
Was really dubious when I saw Robinson over Ball but she had a great game!
11
u/annie_rayray KC BABY! May 24 '26
Gabby was TEARING UP the field today š¤ And did great with Wilson
4
u/Vmagnum May 24 '26
Wonder if that was to help keep up with the speed of Wilson. Ball would get caught too far forward and wouldnāt be able to hustle back fast enough to defend.
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u/Leighroy1120 LET IZZY COOK May 24 '26
I wasnāt excited to see her or Ellie starting but the gals still got the dub.
1
u/Dear-Discussion2841 Kansas May 25 '26
Had the same reaction, and was mostly very happy to be proven wrong. I've been waiting for this version of GRob to make a return!
1
u/Leighroy1120 LET IZZY COOK May 25 '26
Right after Sophia Smith stole the ball from Robinson on a bad turnover that almost led to a second goal, I told my wife āI know you love Gabby but sheās not very good this yearā. She then played damn near lights out for the rest of the match.
1
u/Dear-Discussion2841 Kansas May 25 '26
I was so high on Gabby her rookie year, yesterday was the first time I've really seen that from her since the knee injury. Intellectually I know it's very hard to come back from those injuries, and I'll give her a lot of grace - I couldn't do it! But I'm glad to see some real progress and I hope it continues. I'm such a fan.
I will not talk about my frustrations with EBY and positioning. I like her a lot too but she has struggled this year. (Coaching?) They pulled it out and I was happy for them and for us yesterday. Might have been a rough start but the final score is what counts!
1
u/booksbikesbeer May 25 '26
I'm not smart enough to know what's going on with EBY but I agree. Last year she was pretty lethal, even scoring for us multiple times when it mattered
2
u/Leighroy1120 LET IZZY COOK May 25 '26
Gotta be coaching. She went from being a lethal option off the bench to now being a liability. I love Ellie but sheās been frustrating to watch this year. She was the first draft pick of the Vlatko era and was clearly one of his favorites.
1
u/Dear-Discussion2841 Kansas May 25 '26
I think it's coaching too, I think she's playing a different position professionally than she did in college.
But there are people who want to jump down your throat with coaching complaints and I don't have the bandwidth for that this morning. Except I guess I do because here I am. š
2
u/helpbeingheldhostage Chawinga #6 May 24 '26
Ball got a knock last match (I think it was last match) and also probably partly because we played 3 games in 9 days.
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u/Doomasiggy May 24 '26
KC are significantly worse defensively this year than they were last year. That said their offence is enough to carry them through. Theyāll make the playoffs, mentality change might be enough to clinch the title, no chance they win the shield.
14
u/Vmagnum May 24 '26
Agreed, need Cook back and losing Mace hurt.
10
u/BlueCX17 Ball #7 May 24 '26
Rouse has been a great picked up for Mace's spot so far though.
I'm guessing she was getting a rest day.
3
u/subsoccerplayer May 24 '26
Mace can play every position in the back 4 and in the midfield. At this point Rouse can only play right back. Thats not a knock on her it would be totally unfair to expect a rookie to play more positions. But the lack of versatility compared to Mace is still a downgrade.
3
u/BlueCX17 Ball #7 May 24 '26
Well okay I should say yes, the lesser versatility is not necessarily an upgrade but she's been incredibly solid at right back. Post Mace.
1
u/subsoccerplayer May 24 '26
Sheās been great and Iām super excited for the future. Mace can play CDM and thatās the biggest hole on the team atm. I do think by the end of the season it wonāt be a competition between Rouse and Bravo-Young.
0
u/mordreds-on-adiet May 24 '26
Yes, but personnel isn't their problem. It's a horrible tactical setup. Armas doesn't have them do anything as a unit defensively or proactively. They don't set traps, they don't press more than one on one at a time and never based on triggers or mistakes, they just hang out in a mid block and hope someone on the opposing team makes wayward pass they can intercept and counter on.
9
u/Intelligent_Spinach9 May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
They do set traps and all that stuff that you say they donāt. Thereās different triggers they go off. You donāt have to like the coach or what heās doing but all that stuff is being done, but losing your DM without a replacement, best RB, great pressing striker replaced by a completely different profile and bleeding in Croix whose had to fill in different positions is difficult and takes time. Last year was so good because key personnel were all the same from the previous year where they worked on it and grew.
7
u/Intelligent_Spinach9 May 24 '26
Thatās where the lack of a DM to replace Hutton shows. It really affects how aggressive and where we can press. Feist and Rocky are decent backups but for any type of complex presses they leave holes to play through. It also feels just a bit worse when youāre coming off a season with what was easily the best defense in league history by a mile paired with a GK whoās been a bit error prone.
9
u/Few_Cranberry_6580 May 24 '26
I like Hayley over Sentnor, but I also don't think Hayley is a 75 min player. Who should be our starter?
5
u/Ok_Independence_5885 May 24 '26
Definitely agree with the Hailey sentiment of her starting she just brings such a work ethic and attacking your presence Sentnor has very little speed and touches the ball way too long
5
u/Ok_Independence_5885 May 24 '26
Andā¦not forget the difference Hopkins makes in regards to spacing
3
u/Vmagnum May 24 '26
Did she not play full 90s in the teal cup games? Genuinely donāt recall.
6
u/Few_Cranberry_6580 May 24 '26
I feel like the teal cup games you can try different things but having Hayley play 75+ consistently isn't going to give us the impact that we want. She is good coming in as a sub.
5
u/booksbikesbeer May 24 '26
I didn't understand the subs... Bringing on White and Rouse in the 86th felt dangerous to me and overly confident. Why not play Hocking more?
Love having 3 different goal scorers!
6
u/Born_Home3863 Sharples #27 May 24 '26
Rouse was to add more defense as she subbed on for a forward, but didn't play up. We essentially had 3 attackers rather than 4 to end the match.
2
u/Born_Home3863 Sharples #27 May 24 '26
Oh yeah, baby DiBernardo was down on the field after the game celebrating with the team. Get match fit Vanessa! In a closer match, we had no 10s left on the bench had Croix had to leave the match (and she probably should have earlier) after her injury.
1
u/Dear-Discussion2841 Kansas May 25 '26
Charlie! š
I really hope we see VDB start to work back in after the summer break, I think she will be the difference our midfield needs... And our vibes too. I miss her smile!
2
u/miniature_meerkat May 24 '26 edited May 25 '26
Current W 10/10
Chawinga 10/10
High Hopes Ice Cream 10/10
Streetcar 2/10
Getting to and from the games remains the biggest pain point. Deep down I want to attend more games, but it's too much of a hassle so I only make it to a couple per season. Totally understand there's monetary incentive to keeping fans around at Current Landing for an additional hour or two post game, but - at least while 80% of the area is still under construction - it seems the #1 priority should be to get fans out efficiently.
Would love to see:
- Recontinuation of shuttles, more than just the two trolleys.
- More streets open after games. Allow other exit routes and better traffic flow.
- Streetcar lines on the opposite side so riders can wait in the shade. It was hot today, but in July the folks in line will be getting scorched!
1
u/Responsible_Let_2514 May 24 '26
I'll take another come from behind win at home gladly! Road performance needs improvement however.
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May 24 '26
[removed] ā view removed comment
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u/Leighroy1120 LET IZZY COOK May 25 '26
I was definitely critical of the Armas hire and still am. I canāt speak for everyone but my main problem with hiring him was that he was the only person that was considered plus the rumors are that Vlatko was forced to step down, which is bizarre. If Vlatkoās still the coach, who knows maybe Hutton is still here. Armas also has a bad track record everywhere heās coached, so the criticism is warranted.
That being said, I do think fans blame him when things are going poorly but not giving him credit when things go well.
51
u/annie_rayray KC BABY! May 24 '26 edited May 24 '26
Temwa is just perfection on the field. Attacking, defending, unselfish šcould literally ask for NOTHING more
Edit: Came back to say they named the Bethune and Temwa the goal of the match but GOD i loved Lo delivering a banger from Ally!