Match Preview: Kansas City Current, Orlando Pride Set for Saturday Showdown at CPKC Stadium

KANSAS CITY (Aug. 15, 2025) – The first National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) regular season home match in eight weeks for the Kansas City Current (13-2-0, 1st place, 39 pts.) will take place at CPKC Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 16, when the Orlando Pride (8-4-3, 2nd place , 27 pts.) comes to town. The top-of-the-table clash will kick off at 3 p.m. CT, and the club will celebrate Brain Health Awareness Night presented by The University of Kansas Health System.

The match will broadcast nationally on CBS with Lori Lindsey and Chris Wittyngham on the call in addition to airing on the World Feed with Michael Wottreng and McCall Zerboni calling the action. 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.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
Kansas City has played 28 matches across all competitions at CPKC Stadium – the world’s first stadium purpose-built for women’s professional sports – since its opening on March 16, 2024. The club boasts an impressive 24-1-3 ledger all-time at CPKC Stadium across all competitions, including a 15-1-3 record across 19 regular season home games, and has scored at least once in every match played at home. The Current has won 16 of its last 17 home matches across all competitions, having out-scored opponents 44-9 in that stretch. Additionally, Kansas City is the only team in the league without a loss or a draw at home this regular season.

Forward Temwa Chawinga has been involved in at least one goal in 16 of her 19 NWSL regular season matches at CPKC Stadium, totaling 21 goal contributions (17 goals, four assists). She has contributed to 25 goals (19 goals, six assists) in her 24 matches at CPKC Stadium across all competitions. The 2024 NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner has been directly involved in at least one goal in all but four of her 24 matches played in Kansas City across all competitions.

TOP OF THE TABLE
The Current remains at the top of the NWSL table for the 11th week in a row. The club has 39 points through Week 15, equaling Seattle (12-0-3, 2014) for the most through the first 15 matches of a regular season in league history. Twelve points separate first-place Kansas City (39 points) from second-place Orlando (27 points); 12 points also separate second-place Orlando from 12th-place Houston (15 points). Additionally, the Current has a plus-22 goal difference. The next closest team, Orlando, has a plus-10 goal difference. Twenty of Kansas City’s league-leading 32 regular season goals have been in the first half, more than any other team in the NWSL this season.

LIFE OF A GOAL SCORER (FEAT. TEMWA CHAWINGA)
Entering Week 16, forward Temwa Chawinga leads the 2025 NWSL Golden Boot race with 10 goals and two assists. The 2024 NWSL MVP and Golden Boot Winner is one of three players who has notched at least eight goals this year. On Aug. 8 against the Utah Royals, Chawinga made history by scoring her 30th regular season career goal in what was her 40th regular season appearance. That made her by far the fastest player in NWSL history to 30 regular season goals, surpassing Christen Press (51 games). Chawinga was also the first player in Kansas City history, and the 15th player in league history, with 30 regular season goals for a single club. Last weekend, Chawinga also became the first player in NWSL history to score in five straight regular season road matches. 

Chawinga has a league-leading six game-winning goals on the year. That matches her own NWSL regular season record for the second straight year, a mark she shares with Crystal Dunn (2015), Midge Purce (2021) and Barbra Banda (2024). She has 12 career regular season game-winning goals – a club record – which ties Lynn Biyendolo (NC), Debinha (NC) and Press (CHI) for seventh-most regular season game-winning goals for a single club. Chawinga has 15 game-winning goals across all competitions, the most of any player since the start of the 2024 season.

Earlier this month Chawinga was nominated for the Ballon d’Or, the first such nomination of her career. The prestigious Ballon d'Or is an annual award honoring the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season. On Aug. 14, Chawinga was honored by the Kansas City Sports Commission as the Athlete of the Year.

GOING FOR GR8NESS 
Kansas City heads into Week 16 on an eight-match winning streak, the longest streak in the league this season. It is also tied with the Orlando Pride for the second longest streak in NWSL regular season history, which is the most in a single season. The team matched that record on Aug. 8 against the Utah Royals, which also marked the 50th regular season win in club history. The longest win streak in league history – owned by the Current – stands at nine, which the club achieved over two seasons from Oct. 5, 2024, at Louisville to April 19, 2025, vs. Houston.

Boasting a record of 13-2-0, the Current is the first team to win 13 of their first 15 matches of a season. In fact, the club has won 17 of its last 19 regular season matches dating back to October 2024, the first team in NWSL history to record 17 wins in a span of 19 league matches. Twelve of those 17 wins have been by a margin of at least two goals, including nine matches in 2025. Since the start of the 2024 season, Kansas City has had 19 regular season wins by two or more goals, six more than any other team in that time (Washington Spirit, 13).

COACHING MILESTONE
Saturday will mark KC Current head coach and sporting director Vlatko Andonovski’s 200th NWSL regular season game coached. He will become only the second coach in league history to reach that milestone. Earlier this season, he became the fourth head coach to coach 200 games across all competitions (regular season, playoffs, Challenge Cup, Fall Series, Summer Cup, etc.). Andonovski, who owns sole possession of second all-time for regular season wins, is three away from 100. He is on pace to become just the second head coach to reach the century mark. Furthermore, Andonovski has coached three of the five longest regular season win streaks in NWSL history.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas City midfielder Debinha – Debinha, who recently earned her 150th regular season cap, has recorded 18 goal contributions (14 goals, four assists) against the Orlando Pride across all competitions in her career. Only Lynn Biyendolo (19 vs. Houston Dash) has more against a single NWSL opponent across all competitions. Since joining the NWSL in 2017, Debinha has scored at least once against the Pride each season. So far this year, the Brazilian has recorded five goals and an assist in 11 regular season appearances. She is one of 11 players across the league with at least one brace and currently ranks third among active players with 52 regular season career goals.

Orlando forward Barbra Banda – Banda enters Week 16 ranked third in the Golden Boot race with eight goals and one assist. She is the only player in the league so far this year with a hat trick, doing so on May 23 against the Utah Royals. Banda also leads the NWSL with 70 shots and 35 shots on target. Banda attempted five shots in Orlando’s draw with Racing Louisville FC last weekend, marking her 20th regular season match with at least five shot attempts – nine more than the next closest player. She has attempted 171 shots over the last two seasons, the most of any player in the stretch.

AVAILABILITY REPORT
OUT: Gabrielle Robinson (SEI – Knee), Alana Cook (SEI-Knee), Kristen Hamilton (Hip), Vanessa DiBernardo (Maternity Leave), Clare Gagne (Head), Elizabeth Ball (Hip)
QUESTIONABLE: None
INTERNATIONAL DUTY: None

LAUREN HOLIDAY IMPACT AWARD FAN IMPACT CHALLENGE
The Fan Impact Challenge for the 2025 Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide, formally opened on Friday. Midfielder Claire Hutton is the Kansas City Current’s nominee and is supporting MINDDRIVE as her community partner. To show support for Hutton and MINDDRIVE, fans can vote once per day on the NWSL’s LAUREN HOLIDAY IMPACT AWARD MICROSITE during the duration of the Fan Impact Challenge, which runs until Aug. 30 at 10:59 p.m. CT. The nominee with the most votes at the end of the submission period will be announced as the Fan Impact Challenge winner in early September and receive a $10,000 donation to a charitable organization of the winner’s choice. Hutton is also vying for the overall Lauren Holiday Impact Award — where the winner will receive $50,000 for the charitable organization of their choice — which is selected by a voting panel and will be announced during the week of the 2025 NWSL Championship.

BRAIN HEALTH AWARENESS DAY, PRES. BY THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS HEALTH SYSTEM 
The University of Kansas Health System and the Kansas City Current are partnering for Brain Health Awareness Night on Saturday, Aug. 16. The University of Kansas Health System’s physicians apply the latest clinical and technological advances in diagnosing and treating complex disorders of the brain, spine and nervous system, leading to world-class, industry-leading neurological education, prevention and care. Fans in attendance will be able to learn more about brain health through pre-match activations on CPKC Plaza and can also click HERE to learn more about The University of Kansas Health System’s neurology and neurosurgery care.

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.