Kansas City Current sign pair of draft picks ahead of 2024 season

The Kansas City Current have signed two of the team’s 2024 NWSL Draft picks to one-year contracts through 2024. Defender Ellie Wheeler and goalkeeper Hope Hisey have each signed through the 2024 season with options for the 2025 season.  

“Both players have exceeded the high expectations we had when we drafted them,” said general manager Camille Ashton. “Ellie has shown tremendous growth from the first day of camp and we believe that she will be an exciting contributor to the team. Hope has come in and provided the competition we needed at the position and has fit seamlessly into this group.” 

“Ellie was a player we targeted in the draft and frankly, someone we would have taken even in the first round and Hope was a player we knew had potential in this league,” said head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “Both players were brought in to improve competition within this club at their position and have lived up to that task.” 

After being drafted with the 18th overall selection in the 2024 NWSL Draft, Wheeler played in all three of Kansas City’s preseason exhibitions while the team was training in Bradenton, Florida. She helped to anchor a defense that only allowed a single goal across the three matches. was a four-year starter for Penn State. She was the Nittany Lions Freshman of the Year and Defensive MVP and helped her side win the 2022 Big 10 Championship. Internationally, she also has experience with the U.S. Youth National Teams at the U-19, U20 and U-23 levels. 

“I just want to first thank Cami and Vlatko for giving me this opportunity to play for the Kansas City Current and live out my dreams of playing professional soccer,” said Wheeler. “I am so excited for this upcoming season. I am so blessed and grateful to begin my professional career here in Kansas City with such great staff and teammates to learn from every day. I can’t wait to see you all out at CPKC Stadium on March 16th!” 

Hisey was the team’s third pick on draft night and saw action in the team’s final exhibition against the Houston Dash. She made several strong saves in traffic and helped the Current protect the win late in the match. Hisey, who trained with the Current during the 2023 season and played for the Current II development team, set the record for career saves (366) and games started (88) at the University of Arizona. She was All Pac-12 Third Team in 2022 and All Pac-12 Freshman Team in 2019. 

“I am so grateful for the opportunity to start my professional career at an organization at the forefront of women’s sports,” said Hisey. 

The Current are in the final week of preseason training as the club prepares to open the 2024 NWSL regular season in the first stadium in the world purpose-built for women’s professional sports, CPKC Stadium. The Current will face the Portland Thorns March 16 with a national broadcast on ABC, beginning at 11:30 a.m. CT.