Kansas City Current remains undefeated with draw against defending champion Gotham FC

The Kansas City Current (3-0-1, 10 pts, 1st place) continue the best start in club history with 10 points in four games after battling Gotham FC (1-1-1, 4 pts, 6th place) to a 1-1 draw on Sunday night. The Current also remain unbeaten in the NWSL regular season and the team sits in first place. Forwards Temwa Chawinga and Bia Zaneratto have established a successful chemistry and a knack for goals, connecting on a goal for the second-straight match. The Current continue to hold the record for the most goals through the first four games of an NWSL season, now with 12 goals from nine different players.

“Overall, the fact that we’re coming out of here with a point,” said head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “I’m proud of the team and proud of the group. This was a tough environment. We go into their home opener, against the champions away, getting the point. I think that’s a big point for us.”

The Bia to Chawinga connection started early once again in New Jersey with a glimpse of it in the 6th minute. Bia found Chawinga who ended up one-on-one with Gotham goalkeeper Cassie Miller. She tried to bring the ball back to the far post but quickly adjusted to a quick toe-poke to the near post, but Miller read it, making a great kick save with her outstretched leg.

The two finally cashed in during the 17th minute after Bia got physical and knocking a Gotham defender off the ball. Going coast-to-coast in transition Bia slotted the ball right behind the defenders, placing it perfectly past the final defender to Chawinga. Not messing around this time, Chawinga pulled Miller to the ball just inside the box and chipped it over the head of a sliding Miller into the top of the net to give KC a 1-0 lead. Three KC Players, Chawinga, Bia and DiBernardo have two goals and two assists on the season, the best goal production from any players across the league.

Thanks to the incredible heroics by Current goalkeeper AD Franch, KC kept the lead in the 23rd minute. On a throw in from Gotham deep in KC’s defensive half, Gotham forward Katie Stengel got a shot off from point-blank range but Franch stood tall, taking the shot off of her chest, and keeping the ball out of the net. Stengel got a second chance but sailed the rebound over the bar. Another diving Franch save in the 41st minute near the far post kept Gotham at bay and sent the Current into halftime ahead, 1-0.

Franch continued her defensive dominance into the second half. A pair of shots in the 48th minute were impressively denied by the KC goalkeeper. The second, which came from a header by Stengel rebounded off the top post and Franch kept it barely off the goal line as it bounced off the top of the bar and went straight down. A quick check with VAR from the referee confirmed the save.

Gotham did find the scoresheet in the 51st minute. Midfielder Yazmeen Ryan sailed a corner kick across the entire pack of players congregating around the goal box. Forward Esthér was able to get her head on the cross and find the far post, out of Franch’s reach for the 51st minute equalizer.

The remainder of the second half saw forward Michelle Cooper return to her first action of the season after injury and midfielder Bayley Feist placed two beautiful shots on goal that came up just short. In the 77th minute, Feist came off the far side of the box with a shot but it was just off the fingers of the Gotham goalkeeper as Miller pushed it over the top of the cross bar. Four minutes into second half stoppage time Cooper got wide open for a shot but Miller came out to the middle of the box to meet her, sliding on the ground, Cooper had to jump over the Gotham keeper as she made the save on the turf.

The Current aim to continue the best start in club history as the club returns home to CPKC Stadium, the first stadium purpose-built for a women’s professional team in the world, Saturday April 20th at 6:30 p.m. CT as they host new expansion franchise Bay FC.

NWSL Match Report
Match: NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Kansas City Current
Date: April 14, 2024
Venue: Red Bull Arena, Harrison, NJ 
Kickoff: 6:08 ET/5:08 CT
Weather: 72 degrees, partly cloudy 
Attendance: 8,573

Discipline 
34’ Gotham FC - Martin (Yellow)
71’ Kansas City – Lavogez (Yellow)

Scoring
17’ Kansas City - Chawinga (Zaneratto)
51’ Gotham FC – Gonzalez (Ryan)

Scoring Summary

Gotham FC Lineup: Miller, Hiatt (45’ Dunn), Davidson, López, Bruninha, Martin (45’ Nighswonger), Sheehan (59’ Williams), Sonnett, Stengel (90+3’ Torres), González, Ryan
Unused Substitutes: Betos, Bell, Freeman, McKinney, Stevens

Kansas City Current Lineup: Franch ©, Rodriguez (67’ Mace), Robinson, Ball, Wheeler, Hutton, DiBernardo (66’ Lavogez), Feist, Spaanstra (66’ Cooper), Zaneratto, Chawinga (86’ Pfeiffer)
Unused Substitutes: Steigleder, Scott, Ballisager, Hamilton, Silkowitz