Two Kansas City Current Players Land on May NWSL Best XI, presented by Amazon Prime

Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga and defender Hailie Mace earned monthly honors from the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) for their impressive performances in May. Both players were selected to the NWSL Best XI of the Month, presented by Amazon Prime, as announced by the league on Friday. 

Kansas City’s two recipients are tied for the most of any team this month, and the Current have garnered a league-leading 10 Best XI selections between March, April and May. No other club in NWSL history has had more than seven players recognized on the Best XI team in the first three months of the season.   

Landing on the NWSL Best XI for the second time this season is Chawinga, who was also tabbed to the team in March. This marks the seventh such honor of her career, which is tied for fifth all-time. Mace received Best XI recognition for the third time in her NWSL tenure and the first since September/October 2022. 

Additionally, the NWSL announced on Thursday that Chawinga was named its May Player of the Month, presented by EA SPORTS, the fifth such honor of her career since joining the league ahead of the 2024 season. She now owns sole possession of the NWSL record for most Player of the Month honors, breaking the tie she previously shared with Kim Little and Megan Rapinoe.  

Chawinga netted three goals in the month of May and set several records along the way. Her goal against Bay FC on May 11 propelled her to become the first player in NWSL history to score in each of her first three regular season games against two different clubs. Her game-winning tally on May 16 against Orlando Pride was the 25th regular season goal of her career, a mark she reached in just 34 regular season appearances. Not only did she hit that milestone in six fewer games than anyone else in league history, but she also became the 18th player to record 25 or more goals with one club and the first to do so for the Current.  

The Malawi native’s third consecutive goal came against Chicago Stars FC on May 24 to cap off a successful month. That marked Chawinga’s fourth separate three-or-more game goal streak of her career. Her goal proved to be the deciding factor in Kansas City’s 3-1 win, the ninth game-winning goal of her career to extend her own club record. She has the most regular season game-winning goals since she joined the league a season ago.    

After earning her first start of the season against Seattle Reign FC on May 2, Mace logged a full 90 minutes in all four matches during the month of May while helping Kansas City to a 3-1-0 ledger. She was a key piece of the Current’s back line which conceded just three goals and held opponents to an average of 3.75 shots on goal per game in May. Mace also played a critical defensive role in the club’s 1-0 shutout victory against the Orlando Pride on the road in a rematch of last year’s NWSL semifinal.  

Also contributing offensively, Mace had a pair of assists vs. Bay FC at CPKC Stadium for the second multi-assist game of her career and the second by an NWSL player this season. The Ventura, Calif. native dished out another assist in Chicago two weeks later to set a new Current franchise record for regular season assists with nine. Her three assists on the year – all recorded during the May slate – are tied for second in the league.  

The Current resume NWSL regular season action on Saturday, June 7, against Gotham FC at noon CT (1 p.m. ET) at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J., before returning to CPKC Stadium the following week to host Racing Louisville FC at 6:30 p.m. CT.  

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.