New Contract Keeps Midfielder Rocky Rodríguez in Kansas City Through 2026

The Kansas City Current announced Tuesday that Rocky Rodríguez, a veteran midfielder who will enter her 11th year in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL), has signed a contract extension with the club. The new deal will keep her in Kansas City through the 2026 season with a mutual option for 2027.  

“Rocky’s tremendous amount of experience, both within the league and internationally, is invaluable,” said general manager Ryan Dell. “Her ability to perform at the top level for as long as she has is a testament not only to her talent but to her drive, resilience and high degree of professionalism. She has fit seamlessly into our environment this past year and adds even more quality to our midfield, so we’re beyond thrilled she will remain in Kansas City.” 

Rodríguez joined the KC Current in December 2024 via a trade with Angel City FC. Her first season with Kansas City in 2025 saw her log 706 minutes in 21 regular season games with seven starts as she helped the club win its first-ever NWSL Shield while breaking league records for points (65), wins (21) and shutouts (16), among others. Rodríguez made her 150th regular season appearance on March 22, becoming the 37th player in league history to reach the milestone.  

Prior to the trade, the experienced midfielder appeared in 20 regular season matches for Angel City with 13 starts, scoring one goal across 1,139 minutes in 2024. She spent four seasons with the Portland Thorns from 2020-23 before moving to Los Angeles, playing in 76 matches and logging over 5,000 minutes across all competitions. Rodríguez, who accumulated eight goals and three assists for the Thorns, helped lead them to the 2021 NWSL Shield, 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup title and the 2022 NWSL Championship. 

The San José, Costa Rica native began her professional career with Sky Blue FC after being the No. 2 overall selection in the 2016 NWSL Draft. Rodríguez played in 76 regular season contests for Sky Blue from 2016-19, registering eight goals and five assists in 5,751 minutes.  

Across all NWSL competitions, Rodríguez has totaled 196 matches, 145 starts, 17 goals and eight assists in 12,668 minutes during her career. 

“I’m really happy and excited to play another year with my teammates, for our fans and with the KC Current,” said Rodríguez. “I’m hoping to keep making history all together!” 

A star on the Costa Rican National Team, Rodríguez has over 110 caps and 58 goals for her home country since her debut in 2012. She played every match at the World Cup in 2015 and 2023, highlighted by scoring Costa Rica’s first ever World Cup goal in 2015. Rodríguez scored three goals at the 2014 Concacaf World Championships to help Costa Rica earn its first Women’s World Cup bid – the first by a Central American team – and had seven goals at the 2013 Central America Games to lead her team to gold.   

Additionally, Rodríguez was nominated for Concacaf Female Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015. 

Rodríguez spent her collegiate career at Penn State University from 2012-15 where she won the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy and Honda Sport Award in 2015. As a senior, she captained the Nittany Lions to their first national championship after scoring the game-winning goal.