Match Preview: Kansas City Current faces Racing Louisville in regular season play Saturday

The Kansas City Current (2-5-0, 6pts) get ready to face Racing Louisville FC (1-2-4, 7pts) for the second time in four days Saturday, May 20 with kickoff from Children’s Mercy Park scheduled for 7 p.m. CT. Saturday’s match will be the club’s Military Appreciation night, presented by Palmer Square Capital Management.  

These two teams met Wednesday night at Lynn Family Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky for a UKG Challenge Cup match, won by the hosts 3-2. Kansas City used a largely rotated lineup that saw young players like midfielder Rylan Childers, defender Izzy Rodriguez and forward Alexa Spaanstra get significant minutes of action. 

Kansas City opened up the scoring in the 17th minute of the match when 2023 first round draft picks Spaanstra and forward Michelle Cooper connected. As Spaanstra dribbled the ball towards the center of the field, Cooper cut across the backline, breaking through just as a pass was perfectly weighted to her left foot for a one-touch shot to the backpost. 

Louisville took advantage of a couple Kansas City mistakes and Savannah DeMelo scored two goals in five minutes to take the lead. Midfielder Ary Borges made it a 3-1 lead in the 86th minute. Kansas City midfielder Debinha tried to help her team rally back with an 88th minute goal, but unfortunately it was not enough. 

Although the result was not ideal, the Current were able to take several positives out of the match. Cooper scored her professional goal while her teammate Spaanstra recorded her first two professional assists and defenders Izzy Rodriguez and Jenna Winebrenner showed great work with extended minutes of action.  

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas City Current forward Kristen Hamilton – After suffering a preseason injury, Hamilton may make her 2023 debut in Saturday’s match. Hamilton has been one of the team’s leaders since joining the club via trade in 2021. She holds the club record for most goals in all competitions and makes an impact every time she is on the field.  

Racing Louisville goalkeeper Katie Lund – Lund leads the NWSL in saves and helped command a defense that kept the Current defense in check for large parts of Wednesday’s match in Louisville. She has played every minute of the 2023 campaign for Louisville after leading the league in saves in 2022. 

ROOKIE FIRSTS 
Forward Michelle Cooper was selected by the Current with the second overall selection in the 2023 NWSL Draft. Alexa Spaanstra was taken nine picks later. Both players enjoyed great success in college and came into the league with high expectations. In their first start together, the two combined for several chances throughout the match and provided the first score of the match. Even when not directly scoring goals, both players have shown they have the capabilities needed to be successful in this league. 

COMMUNITY CHAMPION OF THE MATCH
Saturday’s match will feature two community champions. 

The YMCA of Greater Kansas City is a charitable organization committed to engaging men, women and children—regardless of age, income or background—to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. The Current and the Y have partnered to create KC Current YMCA Soccer, which provides opportunity for more than 1,500 children to participate in three different programs.  

In honor of Military Appreciation Night, presented by Palmer Square Capital Management, the Current will also honor The Battle Within, an organization that has created the community for warriors nationwide to discover their path to healing and remain committed to achieving their mental and behavioral health objectives.