Match Preview: Kansas City Current on the road to face OL Reign

The Kansas City Current hit the road for the first time in nearly a month to face OL Reign at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington Saturday June 10 at 9 p.m. CT. The match will broadcast on Paramount+ with Josh Eastern and Jill Loyden while fans can tune into KC Current Radio on the KC Current App with Nick Vasos and Dave Borchardt. 

Kansas City heads into the match with momentum after earning a 1-0 victory over the North Carolina Courage at home last week. Current forward Kristen Hamilton made her first start of the season after returning from a preseason injury. As the Current worked a counterattack up the right side of the field in the eighth minute of the match, midfielder Debinha found some space on the right side and drove towards the goal. As pressure was applied by the defense, she found Hamilton wide open near the penalty spot. Without missing a beat, the veteran forward hit her shot with one touch to the back post. 

From there the Kansas City defense took over. Despite giving up over 65% of the possession, the Current held the Courage without a shot until the 71st minute of the match and out shot them overall 11-7. Current goalkeeper Cassie Miller earned her third clean sheet of the season in the win.

The OL Reign come into this match after playing another edition of the Cascadia Rivalry against the Portland Thorns. Portland found the net in the 17th minute when forward Sophia Smith broke through the backline. Thorns forward Christine Sinclair iced the game in the 87th minute with a one-touch shot to the back, sending the Reign to their second loss at home this season. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas City Current forward Cece Kizer – Kizer has been one of the most consistent offensive players for the Current this season. She has three goals and an assist and averages nearly two shots on target per game. She has started all nine matches she has appeared in this season. Her attacking style frustrates opposing defenses as she has found herself one of the most fouled players on the team. 

OL Reign midfielder Megan Rapinoe – Rapinoe is one of the game’s legends and has been with the Reign since the beginning of the league in 2013. Her 48 career goals rank sixth all-time in the NWSL. She is second in the league this season with four assists, of which three were collected in the May 27 match against Angel City.

MEMORIES OF LUMEN FIELD
This is the Current’s first game back at Lumen Field since the team’s victory in the 2022 NWSL Semifinal game. The Reign came into the match as the NWSL Shield winners for the best record in the regular season and had earned a bye in the first round of the playoffs. Kansas City was coming in as the fifth seed in the playoffs and advanced to the semifinal after a dramatic last-minute victory on the road in the quarterfinals. Defender Alex Loera scored the fastest goal in NWSL playoff history, getting the Current on the board in the fourth minute. Forward Kristen Hamilton found the insurance goal in the 63rd minute, breaking past the Reign backline and beating Reign goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce. The win was the first for KC at Lumen Field and earned the club a spot in the 2022 NWSL Championship Game.

IMPACT PLAYERS RETURNING
With an injury list that saw as many as 10 players on it at the beginning of the season, the Kansas City Current have seen several players return and make immediate impacts. Last week forward Kristen Hamilton made her first start of the season and scored the game-winner only eight minutes into the match. Other veterans like midfielders Debinha and Vanessa DiBernardo made impacts on their return earlier in the season. As the Current gets ready to play the Reign two more players are close to making their return to the field, with defender Elizabeth Ball and midfielder Morgan Gautrat working their way back into the lineup. 

COACHING PARALLELS
This weekend’s match will see two coaches at different stages in their careers, but with parallel tracks to success. Laura Harvey was the then Seattle Reign’s first coach in 2013 after coaching in Europe for nearly 10 years. After an up and down first season, she found consistent success with the Reign, leading the team to earn three NWSL Shields and two berths in the NWSL Championship. Against Portland last week, Harvey coached her 200th game in the NWSL, the first coach to reach that milestone. 

Caroline Sjöblom came to the NWSL with nearly 10 years of coaching experience in Europe as well. After finding wins in her first three matches after taking over as interim head coach, her team hit a rough skid as she implemented her system and tactics into the team. Following last Saturday’s match, the club appears to have grasped the concepts Sjöblom has executed, and she hopes to find the same successes that Harvey has found over her career. 

PRIDE MONTH
The Kansas City Current celebrated the club’s annual Pride Night last Saturday against the North Carolina Courage. The OL Reign will celebrate their annual Pride match when the Current visit on Saturday. These celebratory matches come in conjunction with the NWSL’s PRIDE PLAYS HERE campaign, a commitment to building a stronger bond on and off the pitch, working collaboratively to foster inclusivity and uplift marginalized communities through education, support, and meaningful community partnerships. The Current will celebrate Pride Month throughout June in many ways, including sponsoring and marching in the KC Pride Alliance Parade on June 10 and hosting a booth at the PrideFest, which takes place throughout this weekend. Visit the link here for a full schedule of upcoming events.