Match Preview: Kansas City Current pay visit to North Carolina Courage

KANSAS CITY (April 25, 2025) – Standing alone at the top of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) table heading into Week Six is the Kansas City Current (5-0-0, 15 pts., 1st place), which seek to keep its win streak alive following a trip to Cary, N.C., to take on the North Carolina Courage (0-3-2, 2 pts., 14th place) on Saturday. Kickoff at First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park is set for 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET).

Action will broadcast on NWSL+ with Matt Pedersen and Kacey White on the call and will air locally on KMCI, 38 the Spot with Jillian Carroll Letrinko and Hailey Sutton. Fans in Kansas City can also listen to Dave Borchardt and Jake Yadrich on 90.9 The Bridge or tune in to hear the match in English, Spanish or Portuguese on the KC Current App.

TOP OF THE TABLE
Owning an undefeated 5-0-0 record, Kansas City sits in first in the NWSL standings with 15 points. The last time the club was No. 1 was June 2024 at the end of Week 15. The Current are the second team in NWSL history to win its first five matches of the season. Seattle Reign won its first seven matches in 2014, a league record.

Kansas City is also ranked No. 6 in the world — and No. 1 in the NWSL — in the most recent Opta Global Power Rankings from April 23 with a rating of 94.1. The Current trail only Barcelona, Chelsea, Olympique Lyonnais, Arsenal and Manchester City. The next closest NWSL team is Orlando, which checked in with a 92.3 rating at No. 8.

ON A HOT STREAK
The Current have not conceded a goal since the 49th minute of the 2025 season opener on March 15. That is a new franchise record for consecutive shutout minutes with 401 entering Saturday’s contest. Kansas City’s four-match shutout streak is also tied for the longest in club history.

Dating back to the end of last season, the Current are also on a streak of winning nine straight regular season matches, which is a new NWSL record. That broke the tie with Orlando (April-May 2024) of eight consecutive regular season wins. Additionally, Kansas City tied the NWSL record for consecutive regular season games scoring 2+ goals with seven straight matches in its last outing on April 19. The Current have outscored its opponents 19-3 since the start of that streak on Oct. 19, 2024.

GOALS GALORE
Kansas City is the only team in NWSL history to win its first five matches by multiple goals, surpassing the 2014 Seattle Reign team which won its first four games by 2+ goals. The club has also won its last seven consecutive regular season contests by multi-goal margins, equaling the longest streak in NWSL history. They share the record with the 2013 Western NY Flash (May 1 to June 19) and the 2022 North Carolina Courage (July 10 to August 28).

The Current have scored 12 goals across five matches with nine of those goals coming in the first half. Kansas City has scored first in every regular season game dating back to Oct. 5, 2024 — a streak of nine regular season contests. Entering Saturday’s match, seven players in the league have scored 3+ goals, including forward Temwa Chawinga and midfielders Debinha and Lo’eau LaBonta, who lead the team with three goals apiece.

THE LO-DOWN
On April 19 against the Houston Dash, midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta solidified herself among the league’s all-time best from the penalty spot when she converted a penalty kick in the 21st minute to give KC a 1-0 lead. That moved her up to a tie for third for regular-season penalties scored in NWSL history. She now trails only Megan Rapinoe (14) and Marta (13) and is tied with Kim Little (12). She is 12-of-13 from the spot during her regular season career, all for Kansas City. LaBonta has converted each of her last nine penalty attempts (regular season and playoffs).

Anchoring the Current’s stalwart back line is goalkeeper Lorena, the first netminder in NWSL history to go 5-0-0 in her first five NWSL appearances. Having only conceded once this season, she has gone a franchise-record 401 minutes without allowing a goal. Lorena currently ranks first in the league with four clean sheets and a .933 save percentage.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas City defender Izzy Rodriguez – Rodriguez, a left-footed defender, has proved effective on both ends of the pitch. She has had assists in back-to-back games at San Diego and against Houston. She is tied for second in the NWSL with two assists and is one of six players in the league with multiple assists through five games. Rodriguez now has seven career assists, all with Kansas City. On the defensive end, she has played a key role in the Current’s club-record four-match shutout streak.

North Carolina forward Brianna Pinto – North Carolina’s last two victories over Kansas City in all competitions have been won on stoppage-time goals by Pinto. She is one of two players to score multiple stoppage-time game-winning goals against a single NWSL opponent. Pinto has played in all five games this season, and her lone goal came in stoppage time with a left-footed strike against Gotham FC on April 13. Last year, she had three goals and two assists in 20 appearances with the Courage.

AVAILABILITY REPORT 
OUT: Gabrielle Robinson (SEI – Knee), Alex Pfeiffer (SEI – Knee), Kristen Hamilton (Hip), Michelle Cooper (Lower Leg), Nichelle Prince (Thigh), Regan Steigleder (Lower Leg)
QUESTIONABLE: Alana Cook (Hip)
INTERNATIONAL DUTY: None

KANSAS CITY CURRENT ANNOUNCE SLIGHT TIME CHANGE FOR MAY 11
The Kansas City Current, along with the National Women’s Soccer League and Bay FC, have announced a new start time for the team’s match on Sunday, May 11, at CPKC Stadium. Originally scheduled for a 12:00 p.m. CT start time, the match will now begin at 11:50 a.m. CT. The contest will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
 
Fans in Kansas City will still be able to catch Dave Borchardt and Jillian Carroll Letrinko call the action on 90.9 The Bridge and the match will be broadcast in English, Spanish or Portuguese on the KC Current App.

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.