Match Preview: Kansas City Current Starts Three-Game Road Swing at Chicago Stars FC

KANSAS CITY (March 21, 2026) – After opening the season with a win at home, the Kansas City Current (1-0-0, 3 pts., T-2nd place) now embarks on a three-game road swing beginning with a match against Chicago Stars FC (0-1-0, 0 pts., 16th place) on Sunday, March 22. Kickoff is set for 1:15 p.m. CT at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston, Ill., on the campus of Northwestern University.

The match will broadcast on ESPN2 with Jacqui Oatley and Lianne Sanderson on the call as well as on the World Feed with Matt Pedersen and Celia Jimenez. Dave Borchardt and Jillian Carroll Letrinko will have the action 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. 

MATCH INFO
Who: Kansas City Current at Chicago Stars FC
Where: Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium – Evanston, Ill.
When: Sunday, March 22
Kickoff: 1:15 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN2, World Feed
Radio: 90.9 The Bridge

TEN THINGS TO KNOW
1. The Current has won their first two matches in each of the last two seasons and are trying to become the first team in NWSL history to open with back-to-back wins in three consecutive seasons.

2. Kansas City has remained unbeaten in the last five regular season meetings with Chicago, scoring 18 goals in that stretch. Those 18 goals are tied for the second-most by an active NWSL team over a league opponent in a span of five regular season contests.

3. Across all competitions, midfielder Debinha has recorded 12 career goal contributions (10 goals, 2 assists) against Chicago and has been directly involved in seven goals (6 goals, 1 assist) in her last six matches vs. the Stars.

4. Defender Kayla Sharples, an Illinois native, played for Northwestern from 2015-18 and was a two-time All-American for the Wildcats. She spent the first five years of her professional career in the Windy City, having been drafted by Chicago in 2019.

5. Debinha’s next regular season assist will make her the first NWSL player to record 20 goals/20 assists with two different clubs as well as the first player in club history with 10 goals/10 assists.

6. In the Current’s last match on March 14 vs. the Utah Royals, midfielder Croix Bethune scored the equalizer in her club debut. She became the 13th player in league history to score a goal on her birthday.

7. Midfielder Ally Sentnor scored the game-winner on March 14 against her former club for her first goal for Kansas City. It was the third game-winning goal of her regular season career. Sentnor currently has a team-leading three goals with the U.S. Women’s National Team this year.

8. Other firsts from March 14 at CPKC Stadium included rookie forward Gianna Paul making her professional debut and forward Penelope Hocking, who was traded to the Current three days before the season opener, making her club debut.

9. Michelle Cooper made her 50th career regular season start last Saturday, becoming the seventh player to reach that mark for the club. Cooper was officially removed from the season ending injury (SEI) list on March 13.

10. For the third consecutive year, Kansas City was named The Most Ambitious Club by ESPN, which noted how the Current is “playing chess while most of the league plays checkers.”

AVAILABILITY REPORT
OUT: Alana Cook (SEI-Knee), Clare Gagne (SEI-Head), Temwa Chawinga (SEI-Hip), Mary Long (D-45), Meila Brewer (Knee), Bayley Feist (Thigh), Vanessa DiBernardo (Maternity Leave)
QUESTIONABLE: Rocky Rodriguez (Lower Leg), Lo'eau LaBonta (Knee)
INTERNATIONAL DUTY: None