Kansas City Current falls to Racing Louisville FC in second-straight meeting

In the second-straight matchup between the Kansas City Current (2-6-0) and Racing Louisville FC (2-2-4) the home team fell 2-0 at Children’s Mercy Park. After a tough stretch of three games in seven days, the Current just could not find the back of the net despite 18 total shots with six on target for the night. 

“We are very disappointed, and the overall performance today wasn’t good enough,” said Current interim head coach Caroline Sjöblom. “I think it speaks for itself why we lost today. It’s a tough loss but the performance wasn’t there.” 

Racing Louisville scored both of their goals in the first half of play. Midfielder Savannah DeMelo took advantage of an errant back pass from Current defender Croix Soto to Cassie Miller and pounced on it for an easy shot to the back of the net in the 12th minute. In the 27th minute Louisville capitalized again with good passing and DeMelo found forward Kirsten Davis for the goal, giving Racing a 2-0 lead. 

A bright spot for Kansas City was the return of forward Kristen Hamilton who made her season debut in the 81st minute after missing the entire season to this point due to injury. When her name was announced she was greeted with a deafening welcome and standing ovation from the KC Current supporters. 

“It’s fantastic to have Hammy back on the pitch,” said Sjöblom. “She brings a lot of energy, and she is fantastic when she presses. She comes with a high speed, and she can read the defender where they put the ball and she’s also a goal scorer. We need that kind of player that can go in with one touch and score with the knee, a foot, or the head and Hammy is that kind of player.” 

Hamilton said when she subbed onto the field and saw the standing ovation from the crowd of 10,603 fans at Children’s Mercy Park it was an emotional moment. 

“It was so cool,” said Hamilton. “You could hear different groups of people chanting my name and I definitely did not expect that. I have so much love for the fans and so much love for this city. I’m so happy and proud to be representing the Current. It was such a good feeling to step back on the field.” 

The Current had good chances in the final minutes of stoppage time, but some timely saves from Louisville goalkeeper Katie Lund would keep Kansas City from finding the back of the net. 

The Current stay home for a matchup with the Houston Dash this Friday, May 26, at Children’s Mercy Park at 7 p.m. CT. Season tickets, flex plans and single match tickets are available for all home matches at Children’s Mercy Park. For pricing and information, visit kansascitycurrent.com. 

NWSL Regular Season Match Report
Match: Kansas City Current vs. Racing Louisville FC
Date: May 20, 2023
Venue: Children’s Mercy Park, Kansas City, KS 
Kickoff: 7:07 p.m. CT / 8:07 p.m. ET
Weather: 69 degrees, sunny
Attendance: 10,603  

Discipline 
36’ Louisville – Howell (Yellow)
61’ Louisville – HC Bjorkegren (Yellow)
73’ Kansas City – LaBonta (Yellow)
82’ Kansas City – DiBernardo (Yellow)  

Scoring
12’ Louisville – DeMelo 
27’ Louisville – Davis (DeMelo)  

Scoring Summary 

Kansas City Current Lineup: 
Miller, Soto (45’ Merrick), Robinson, Del Fava, Mace, LaBonta © (76’ Spaanstra), DiBernardo, Debinha, Kizer, Larsson (63’ Rodriguez), Cooper (81’ Hamilton)
Unused Substitutes: Franch, Curran, Childers, Winebrenner, Silkowitz  

Racing Louisville FC Lineup: Lund, Milliet, Pickett, Erceg, Lester, Howell ©, Borges, DeMelo (87’ Baggett), Shuang (76’ Chidiac), Monaghan (62’ Kanu), Davis (76’ Kgatlana)
Unused Substitutes: Pikkuajamsa, Wyne, Sekany, Fischer, Holloway