Match Preview: Kansas City Current Opens September Slate on the Road at Bay FC

KANSAS CITY (Sept. 5, 2025) – The Kansas City Current (15-2-1, 1st place, 46 pts.) looks to carry its 11-match unbeaten streak into its September slate, which begins with a clash against Bay FC (4-9-5, 12th place, 17 pts.) on Saturday, Sept. 6, in Week 19 of the 2025 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) regular season. Kickoff is set for 9 p.m. CT (7 p.m. PT) in San Jose, Calif., at PayPal Park, the site of the 2025 NWSL Championship, presented by Google Pixel.

The match will broadcast on ION with Maura Sheridan and Jordan Angeli on the call, and will also air on the World Feed with Lisa Carlin and Gary Bailey. Fans in Kansas City can catch a simulcast of the match on KMCI, 38 the Spot with a pregame show, KC Current Matchday, starting at 8:30 p.m. CT. Jillian Carroll Letrinko and Dave Borchardt will call the game on 90.9 The Bridge, and fans can also tune in to hear the match in English, Spanish or Portuguese on the KC Current App.

THE SUMMER I CLINCHED A PLAYOFF SPOT
On Aug. 30 with a 2-0 win over the North Carolina Courage at CPKC Stadium, the Kansas City Current officially became the first team this year to clinch a spot in the 2025 NWSL Playoffs, presented by Google Pixel. Kansas City equaled Orlando’s record from last year for the fastest team to secure a playoff berth with eight regular season games remaining.

This marks the Current’s third playoff appearance in franchise history, having now done so in back-to-back seasons. Kansas City advanced to the championship match in 2022 as the fifth seed and advanced to the semifinals in 2024 as the fourth seed. The first-ever home playoff match in franchise history was in the 2024 NWSL Quarterfinals. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski has now reached the NWSL playoffs seven times in his career, equaling the league record held by Mark Parsons.

CURRENT VS. BAY
The Kansas City Current has won all three meetings against Bay FC, with an aggregate score of 10-3. Nine of the Current’s 10 goals in the series have been scored at CPKC Stadium, most recently during a 4-1 win on May 11 with goals from forwards Bia Zaneratto and Temwa Chawinga as well as a brace from midfielder Debinha. Saturday will mark Kansas City’s second visit to PayPal Park. The first was a 1-0 win on Oct. 12, 2024, as Chawinga made history with her 19th goal of the 2024 regular season to set a new NWSL record; she later extended that record to 20. The first-ever meeting between the two clubs was a 5-2 Current win on April 20, 2024, at CPKC Stadium. The five goals allowed remain tied for the most conceded in Bay FC history, and Kansas City has scored more goals only once (six vs. Chicago in 2023).

TOP OF THE TABLE
The Current remains at the top of the NWSL table for the 14th week in a row. The club has 46 points through Week 18, 14 points ahead of second-place Washington Spirit. Those 46 points are the most through 18 matches of a season in NWSL history, one ahead of the previous record of 45 first set by Seattle in 2014 and then matched by North Carolina in 2018. Kansas City is the eighth team in NWSL history to record at least 15 wins in a single regular season and the fastest to do so, hitting the mark in just 18 games. The league record for most regular season wins in club history stands at 18 from Orlando in 2024.

GOALS GALORE
Ten different KC Current players have combined for 36 goals during the 2025 regular season so far, and the club has found the back of the net in 16 of its 18 matches. Last weekend, Kansas City set an NWSL record with its 11th win of the year by multiple goals. The Current is winning by an average of 1.44 goals per game with a league-best plus-26 goal differential. The club has scored a league-leading 36 regular season goals this year with 23 of those coming in the first half. Thirteen goals have been in the opening 25 minutes with seven in the first 15 minutes of play, also the most of any team this season. The team has a plus-22 goal differential in the first half alone. The Current has scored five times in the opening four minutes of matches this season, something no other team has done more than three times in a single regular season in NWSL history.

MILESTONE TRACKER & RECORD WATCH
A few milestones and potential records are on the horizon for the Kansas City Current. Defender Hailie Mace is one appearance away from 100 career regular season caps, and she would become the 118th player in league history to hit that mark. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski is one victory away from 100 career regular season wins. Only one other coach in history, Laura Harvey with 110 wins, has reached the century mark.

If the Current goes past 13:00 on Saturday vs. Bay FC without giving up a goal, they will set a new NWSL regular season record for consecutive minutes without conceding. Orlando currently holds that record with 554 minutes from 2024, and Kansas City enters the weekend with an active streak of 542 minutes. Additionally, the next regular season road victory for the Current will set a new NWSL single season record of nine. The team is also one victory away from matching the club record for regular season wins in a single season of 16 set last year.

BEST OF THE BEST
A trio of Current players – forward Temwa Chawinga along with defenders Izzy Rodriguez and Kayla Sharples – were named to the NWSL Best XI of the Month, presented by Amazon Prime, for August, the league announced on Sept. 5. Kansas City’s three Best XI recipients are the most of any club in August, which has been the case every month this season. The Current has garnered a league-leading 16 Best XI selections between March, April, May, June and August. No other club in NWSL history has had more players recognized on the Best XI team in the first five months of the season.

Collecting NWSL Best XI praise for the fourth time this year is Chawinga, the 2024 NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner, who was also tabbed to the team in March, May and June. This is the ninth such honor of her career which is now tied for third all-time. Both Rodriguez and Sharples landed on the Best XI for the third time in their careers and second time this season, with Rodriguez also being recognized in May and Sharples most recently in June. 

COACH OF THE MONTH
The league announced on Sept. 4 that KC Current head coach and sporting director Vlatko Andonovski was named the NWSL Coach of the Month for August. An impactful way to recognize coaches across the league, the NWSL began its Coach of the Month honor in May to coincide with its other monthly awards. Andonovski has now received the recognition in two of the three months it has been awarded.

He led the Current to a 4-0-1 record during the August slate to extend the club’s unbeaten streak to 11 regular season matches. The team became the eighth team in league history to record at least 15 wins in a single regular season – and the fastest to do so, hitting that mark in just 18 matches. Kansas City did not concede a goal during its August matches under Andonovski’s direction. On Aug. 16, he became the second head coach in league history to reach 200 regular season games coaches.

LHIA FAN IMPACT CHALLENGE WINNER
Midfielder Claire Hutton is the KC Current’s nominee for the 2025 Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide. The prestigious award honors players making a significant impact in their community, and Hutton is supporting MINDDRIVE as her community partner. On Sept. 2, the NWSL announced that Hutton had won the Fan Impact Challenge for garnering the most votes during the fan voting period. As the Fan Impact Challenge winner, Hutton receives a $10,000 donation for MINDDRIVE. The overall Lauren Holiday Impact Award winner, announced during championship weekend in November, will receive $50,000 for the charitable organization of their choice. More information about Hutton’s nomination can be found HERE.

PERSONNEL UPDATES 
Kansas City Current goalkeeper Clare Gagne suffered a head injury in training and has been placed on the season ending injury (SEI) list as she continues the recovery process. Gagne joined the Current in January 2024 as a free agent after a standout collegiate career. She played at Brown University from 2020-23 where she led her team to three straight Ivy League titles. Gagne used her fifth year of eligibility at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and guided the Tar Heels to the 2024 national championship. She was named the 2024 NCAA College Cup Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

In a corresponding move, the Current has signed Tyler McCamey as a goalkeeper replacement player for the remainder of the 2025 season. Most recently, McCamey was signed to a short-term injury replacement contract with Gotham FC. The Atlanta, Ga. native played collegiately at Princeton University from 2021-24 where she finished her career with 157 saves, 18 shutouts and a 0.766 save percentage in 56 appearances. McCamey, who helped the Tigers win the 2024 Ivy League title, was named First Team All-Ivy League and First Team United Soccer Coaches All-Region as a senior.

PLAYERS TO WATCH 
Kansas City midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta – Last weekend, LaBonta scored her fourth goal of the 2025 regular season, all which have been from the penalty spot. Now with 13, she is tied with Marta for second all-time in NWSL history for regular season penalty kicks, trailing only Megan Rapinoe (14). LaBonta is now 13-of-14 from the spot in her regular season career, all for Kansas City, and has converted each of her last 10 PK attempts across all competitions. It was also her 20th regular season career goal, becoming the second player in franchise history with 20 for the club and the 31st player in NWSL history with 20 for the same club.

Bay forward Rachel Hill – Hill scored her second goal of the regular season on Monday vs. Angel City FC, halfway to her single-season career high of four goals done in both 2018 and 2019 with the Orlando Pride. She has scored 18 career regular season goals, the most by any player that has never recorded a five-goal season in NWSL history. Hill has played in all 16 regular season matches this year for Bay and has earned nine starts, logging 799 minutes.

AVAILABILITY REPORT
OUT: Alana Cook (SEI-Knee), Clare Gagne (SEI-Head), Kristen Hamilton (Hip), Vanessa DiBernardo (Maternity Leave)
QUESTIONABLE: Temwa Chawinga (Ankle), Lorena (Knee)
INTERNATIONAL DUTY: None

TICKETING INFO FOR 2025 NWSL PLAYOFFS
KC Current Season Ticket Members can claim tickets for the 2025 NWSL Playoffs, presented by Google Pixel, beginning Monday, Sept. 8, at 11 a.m. CT through Friday, Sept. 12, at 11 a.m. CT. Current Club members will also receive early access from Monday, Sept. 15, at 11 a.m. CT to Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 11:59 p.m. CT. The general public can purchase playoff tickets starting Thursday, Sept. 18, at 11 a.m. CT. Purchasers will only be charged if the Current hosts a home playoff match. To guarantee seats, purchasers must claim tickets for both the potential quarterfinal and semifinal at the same time. More information about playoff tickets can be found HERE.

Limited single-match tickets for 2025 regular season home matches are now on sale to the general public. The best way to ensure you won’t miss a second of the action at CPKC Stadium is by joining the Current Club, the Current’s trailblazing fan membership experience. Focused on ensuring fans continue to be able to access exclusive opportunities, members can unlock special benefits like priority access to single match tickets, members-only gifts and discounts, access to live and virtual events, exclusive content and more. 2025 Season Ticket Member Account Holders are already enrolled in Current Club at no additional cost. Click HERE for more information about the Current Club.