Kansas City Current gets the season sweep over Angel City FC following heroic late-game comeback

KANSAS CITY (April 26, 2024) — The Kansas City Current (5-0-1, 1st place, 16 pts.) remain at the top of the NWSL table with a 3-1 win over Angel City FC (2-3-1, 7th place, 7 pts.) in Los Angeles. A highlight reel worthy, long-range goal from Vanessa DiBernardo and late game heroics from Claire Lavogez, who scored a brace in an epic comeback, keep Kansas City unbeaten six games into the season. For the second week in a row, the Current saw a player score a brace.

“I was so happy to see the players adjusting and changing the approach and not just that but also being successful in that, which is a great step forward for us,” said Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski.

The Current started off strong controlling the pace of play. In the 12th minute, Angel City midfielder Jasmyne Spencer saw a wide open far post but KC Current goalkeeper AD Franch made an amazing full-extension diving save pushing the ball off target by the tips of her fingers. After that, Angel City controlled the attack, getting another shot on goal in the next three minutes. Current defender Ellie Wheeler got so close in the 20th minute to scoring, as forward Bia Zaneratto hit a cross to Wheeler in the goal box, but the header goes just over the crossbar.

Angel City hit paydirt in the 34th minute as Alyssa Thompson snagged her second assist of the season, finding midfielder Claire Emslie. Emslie drew two KC defenders in and Franch out leaving the backside of the goal open. She then connected with a left-footed shot that kissed off the crossbar and into the net, giving Angel City a 1-0 lead.

Franch came up clutch again in the 44th minute with another crucial, diving save off Angel City’s cross. A heads up play from forward Alexa Spaanstra gave Bia an opportunity to take advantage in the following minute.

Bia took a shot from the top of the arc, but it was saved by Angel City goalkeeper Haračić who had to reach full extension in her diving attempt. The Current went into halftime down 1-0 to Angel City. It’s the longest the Current have ever been held without a goal this season and the first time going into halftime with a deficit.

The Current and Coach Andonovski made the necessary adjustments in the second half. In the 54th minute, as the ball came into Bia, she shielded the defender and tapped it just to the side where DiBernardo was able to take one touch to the side and connect with a demonstrative goal from 15 feet outside of the penalty box. Ten minutes later she nearly had goal number two from long-range but just banged it off the cross bar.

In the 72nd minute KC subbed in veterans Lo LaBonta and Debinha, players who have missed several games this season due to injuries.

In the waning minutes of regulation time is when the Current did what they do best, entertaining Prime Video viewers and fans at BMO stadium with late game heroics and finishing off an epic comeback.

In the 90th minute defender Izzy Rodriguez carried the ball into the box on the lefthand side as the Angel City defense drew towards her she sent a low cross to the top of the goal box where midfielder Claire Lavogez was able to sneak in and flick it over the outstretched arms of Angel City’s goalkeeper. This was Lavogez’s first goal in 579 days, making her the 11th different player to score a goal for the Current in 2024.

Not to be outdone, she followed up to secure the win three minutes into stoppage time. Chawinga drove straight towards the goalkeeper from the left side of goal, hitting a shot that deflected straight to where Lavogez was standing. The French midfielder was able to easily tap in the score for a brace, giving KC the 3-1 victory.

The Current will continue a three-game road trip next week, traveling to Houston to play the Dash Saturday, May 5 at 12 p.m. CT on CBS. Fans at home can listen along on 90.9 The Bridge and on the KC Current App.

NWSL Match Report
Match: Angel City FC vs. Kansas City Current
Date: April 26, 2024
Venue: BMO Stadium, Los Angeles, CA 
Kickoff: 9:11 CT/7:11 PT
Weather: 64 degrees, sunny
Attendance: 19,178

Discipline
28’ Kansas City - Hutton (Yellow)
56’ Angel City – Hammon (Yellow)
77’ Angel City – Reid (Yellow)
85’ Kansas City – Cooper (Yellow)
90+7’ Kansas City – Robinson (Yellow)

Scoring
34’ Angel City – Emslie (Thompson)
54’ Kansas City – DiBernardo (Zaneratto)
90’ Kansas City – Lavogez (Rodriguez)
90+3’ – Kansas City - Lavogez 

Scoring Summary

Angel City FC Lineup: Haracic, Reid, Gorden ©, Spencer (81’ Riley), Curry, Hammond (70’ Dougherty-Howard), Rodriguez, Fuller, Leroux, A. Thompson (80’ G. Thompson), Emslie (70’ Bright)
Unused Substitutes: Anderson, Mathias, Le Bihan, Johnson, Nabet

Kansas City Current Lineup: Franch ©, Wheeler (45' Mace), Robinson, Ballisager, Rodriguez, Hutton, Feist (73' LaBonta), DiBernardo (73' Debinha), Spaanstra (45' Cooper), Zaneratto (63' Lavogez), Chawinga
Unused Substitutes: Steigleder, Mace, Ball, Cooper, Silkowitz, Pfeiffer