Match Preview: Kansas City Current return home for first match against Bay FC

The Kansas City Current (3-0-1, 10pts., 1st place) return home to CPKC Stadium to face expansion team Bay FC (2-2-2, 8pts., 6th place) Saturday, April 20 at 6:30 p.m. CT. The match will broadcast nationally on ION television, and simulcast locally on 38 the Spot, with JP Dellacamera and Jillian Loyden on the call. 90.9 the Bridge, featuring Dave Borchardt and Jillian Carroll Letrinko, will have the radio call. Fans can also tune in to hear Dave and Jillian on the KC Current app, along with Spanish and Portuguese language broadcasts.

The Kansas City Current head into Saturday’s match as one of the hottest teams in the league. Sitting atop the NWSL table as one of only three teams to have not suffered a loss, the Current boast wins against the 2023 NWSL Shield Winning San Diego Wave, the team with the second-best record in 2023 (Portland Thorns) and a dangerous Angel City FC before earning a tough road draw against the defending champions NJ/NY Gotham FC.

Traveling to New Jersey last weekend, the Current opened the home schedule for NJ/NY Gotham FC in front of the largest home opener crowd that Gotham has ever seen. Despite the large crowd and energized atmosphere, the Current came out on the front foot. Forwards Bia Zaneratto and Temwa Chawinga worked together to continuously attack the Gotham back line. Chawinga jumped on the end of a Bia pass in the sixth minute and barreled towards goal only to be thwarted by a last-minute save.

In the 17th minute, the Bia/Chawinga combo finally hit paydirt. Bia wrestled the ball away from a Gotham attacker just inside the Current’s defensive half. Recognizing the opportunity, Chawinga scouted the best route through five Gotham defenders and took off on a sprint. Bia laid a perfectly weighted pass around the Gotham back line to Chawinga who had already cleared everyone on her way to hitting the back of the net with a chip shot over the goalkeeper.

Gotham was able to find an equalizer in the 51st minute. Esther Gonzalez jumped on a long cross and headed the ball into the far corner. The goal was the second of the year for both Gonzalez and Gotham. Kansas City held off the Gotham attack through the rest of the match to end the game with the first draw of the season.

Bay FC earned the club’s first home victory last week against Seattle. Falling behind 1-0 on an own goal at halftime, Bay jumped on every opportunity the team saw in the second half. Kayla Sharples equalized in the 48th minute, followed by a 25-yard strike from former Kansas City midfielder Alex Loera. Seattle equalized in the 83rd minute, but midfielder Joelle Anderson took a shot four minutes later that deflected into the net and gave the expansion team a 3-2 win in front of the home crowd.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas City Current forward Bia Zaneratto – Zaneratto started her professional career when she was 13 years old and her international career at 14, so she was already a seasoned veteran when she signed with the Current in January. Her experience and skill have been on display from the very beginning, scoring a goal in the 34th minute of the season opener. She followed that up by terrorizing the San Diego defense in the second game and drawing a penalty that resulted in the winning goal, adding a goal and an assist against Angel City at home and then providing the assist to Chawinga’s goal against Gotham. She is one of three Kansas City players with four goal contributions in the first four games of the season, something that has only been done once since 2017.

Bay FC midfielder Alex Loera – Originally drafted by Kansas City in the fourth round of the 2021 NWSL Draft, Loera has been one of Bay’s top performers. She has provided a calming veteran presence to the expansion team and helped her new side to an impressive 2-2-0 start to the season. She scored her first goal of the 2024 campaign last week with a long-distance shot that was similar to one she scored for the Current in 2022 and earned her a spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 list.

PARADE OF HEARTS 
Each year the Kansas City area communities celebrate the heartland and show why we have the biggest hearts. Local artists decorate 5-foot fabricated hearts and place them throughout the region. The Parade of Hearts is a public art experience that celebrates our diversity, unites communities, and supports nonprofits. This week, the Parade of Hearts and the Current unveiled a pair of hearts that will be displayed at CPKC Stadium.

“Home is Where the Heart is/El Hogar es Donde Está el Corazón” by artist Laura Flores - sponsored by Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. A Cinco de Mayo event and our rich Kansas City culture inspired this artwork. It shows a young lady wearing a beautiful escaramuza outfit mounted atop her horse. This artwork celebrates Kansas City's rich culture, the Latino culture, and Indigenous heritage. It also serves as a reminder that there is no hope for the future without land and water.

“Kickin It In KC” by artist Kirsten Mims – sponsored by Mandy & Tucker Trotter Foundation. This heart celebrates Kansas City's soccer passion (or futbol), honoring the past and present teams' successes. The heart-shaped design features scarves representing Sporting KC and KC Current colors, along with nods to The Comets and The Wizards. Experience a soccer game this year and gear up for the 2026 World Cup in KC. Let's Go!

UNDER THE LIGHTS
Saturday’s match will be the first night game played at the brand new CPKC Stadium after the first two matches were played in the afternoon. Following the match, the team will shut off the lights and treat fans to a ten minute drone show to celebrate Kansas City Current and all of the fans who help to make Kansas City the Soccer Capital of America.