Match Preview: Kansas City Current open 2023 NWSL season on the road against North Carolina Courage

The Kansas City Current are set to begin the team’s third season of NWSL action Saturday, March 25 at 1 p.m. CT. The team is traveling to Cary, North Carolina to take on the North Carolina Courage at WakeMed Soccer Park. Saturday’s match will broadcast live on Paramount+. In addition, Dave Borchardt and Jillian Carroll Letrinko will bring fans all the action via an audio broadcast on the Kansas City Current app, available on Apple and Android devices.

Last season, the Kansas City Current surprised many with a season that brought excitement to the entire region and ended with a chance to play for the NWSL Championship. On the way to the league’s title match, the Current rattled off 13 games unbeaten, the NWSL’s second longest streak in history. 

Head coach Matt Potter put his players in position for success while allowing them to have the freedom to showcase their talents. Goalkeeper AD Franch and defender Hailie Mace played their way into the U.S. Women’s National Team roster while veteran forwards Cece Kizer and Kristen Hamilton made a splash with their scoring prowess. Midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta is now a worldwide phenomenon after her showcasing her creativity with several viral goal scoring celebrations. 

The North Carolina Courage had a promising start to the season after capturing the 2022 Challenge Cup championship. However, after starting the regular season with three straight losses they were unable to catch up and for the first time in five seasons, they failed to qualify for the playoffs. The team is refreshed for 2023, with 10 new faces in the lineup. They will have their hands full as they attempt to find postseason success once again. Of the 43 goals scored by the Courage in 2022, over 20 of them were scored by players no longer on the roster, including 12 from midfielder Debinha, now with the Current.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas City Current forward Michelle Cooper - As the second overall pick in the 2023 NWSL Draft, Cooper is coming off a blockbuster season at Duke. She is the 2022 MAC Hermann award winner and earned both ACC Offensive Player of the Year and United Soccer Coaches First Team All-America honors. In her two seasons as a Blue Devil, she managed to score a goal or provide an assist in nearly 75% of the games she played. Cooper scored in Kansas City’s preseason game against the San Diego Wave, and should play a significant role in the Current’s 2023 campaign. 

North Carolina Courage forward Kerolin - With many goalscorers leaving the Courage in the offseason, Kerolin will have the opportunity to step up for North Carolina. In her debut season, she scored six goals and logged four assists in 13 matches. Known for her speed, footwork and contact-heavy play, it will be up to the Brazilian to make a mark for the Courage this year. 

NEW FACES
The Current has 14 players returning from last season, including 10 of the 11 players who started the NWSL Championship match. With the goal of improving on last year’s success, general manager Camille Ashton and her staff added world-class talent to this year’s roster. The NWSL’s first Free Agency period saw Morgan Gautrat, Vanessa DiBernardo and Debinha come to Kansas City. Internationally, the team added two Swedish stars in Hanna Glas and Mimmi Larsson. On top of that, Ashton added top-quality talent in the NWSL Draft with MAC Herrmann Trophy winner Michelle Cooper and Alexa Spaanstra.

VIDEO ASSISTANT REFEREE
In an effort to improve the game, the NWSL will become the first women’s soccer league in the world to use Video Assistant Referees (VAR) this season. The VAR is a resource for NWSL referees and will be called upon to help correct clear and obvious mistakes made in the heat of the game. Specifically, VAR will be able to help in the following situations:

• Goal or No Goal
• Penalty or no Penalty
• Direct Red or missed Direct Red
• Mistaken Identity

If VAR believes a play is deserving of review, they will notify the center referee. At that point the center referee will go to a monitor off the sideline of the field to watch a video replay and make their decision.