Match Preview: Kansas City Current return home for regular season matchup against the Orlando Pride

The Kansas City Current return to Children’s Mercy Park Sunday, April 23 to face the Orlando Pride at 4 p.m. CT. The match will be the third in eight days for the Current after playing last Saturday in Chicago, then opening the 2023 UKG Challenge Cup in Houston Wednesday. Sunday’s match will air live on Paramount+ with an audio stream on KC Current Radio, available on the Kansas City Current mobile app.

A busy week for the Current began with a road trip to Chicago last Saturday. The team fell behind 4-0 early but showed resiliency with midfielder Debinha’s first goal for the club, followed by forward Mimmi Larsson’s first NWSL goal. Larsson also provided the assist on Debinha’s goal.

Wednesday saw the Current opening up UKG NWSL Challenge Cup play at the Houston Dash. Heading into the match, the club announced it had parted ways with head coach Matt Potter and appointed Caroline Sjöblom as Interim Head Coach.

The players focused on the task at hand and earned their fourth consecutive win over the Dash. Forward Cece Kizer scored the club’s first brace in history with goals in the 36th minute (assisted by midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta) and 66th minute (assisted by defender Kate Del Fava). Goalkeeper Cassie Miller earned the start in the net and made four saves on her way to her third career clean sheet with Kansas City.

The Orlando Pride, like the Current, are still seeking the first regular season win for 2023. The team battled with NJ/NY Gotham for over 90 minutes last Saturday, but two very late goals (90’+10, 90’+17) from Gotham sent the Pride to the club’s third straight defeat. In their Challenge Cup opener against the North Carolina Courage at home Wednesday, Orlando took the lead shortly after halftime on a strike from Ally Watt, however another stoppage time score (90’+9) forced the team to split the points.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas City Current defender Kate Del Fava – Del Fava has started 25 straight matches for the Current across all competitions after only starting nine total matches prior to 2022. Her steady play on the wing in Wednesday’s Challenge Cup match helped the defense earn the first clean sheet of the season and she earned her first career assist in the second half as she sent a cross behind the defense that only Kizer was able reach.

Orlando Pride forward Marta – While the Current has added Brazilian star Debinha to its roster this season, the Pride have their own Brazilian legend in forward Marta. After missing the entire 2022 season due to injury, the Pride will be relying on the veteran forward for leadership and productivity in 2023. Originally joining Orlando in 2017, the 37-year-old veteran has played 75 regular season matches and scored 27 goals, all with the Pride.

NEW LEADERSHIP
The Current announced on Wednesday that Caroline Sjöblom (pronounced (HEHR-bloom) had been appointed Interim Head Coach after dismissing former head coach Matt Potter that same day. The Finnish international played professionally in her homeland and in Sweden. After retiring from playing, she moved into the coaching ranks, first in the Swedish professional ranks with Tyresö FF and AIK. Then in 2020 she was named the head coach of Sweden’s U19 Women’s National Team. 2022 saw her lead the Swedes to victory over Germany and England on the way to a third-place finish in the European Championship.

FINDING THE GROOVE
Both teams in this matchup are still seeking the first regular season points for 2023, although both did earn points in midweek UKG NWSL Challenge Cup matches. For Kansas City, the Current has relied on several young players to carry the load while several key figures recovered from injuries. After the first two games, goalkeeper AD Franch and midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta had more career seasons than either of their nine starters combined. Midfielders Debinha and Vanessa DiBernardo have both returned to action in the last two matches and helped to provide a spark that has seen the team score four goals in the past two, as opposed to only one in the previous two.

KU WOMEN’S BASKETBALL – WNIT CHAMPIONS
The 2023 WNIT Champion Kansas Jayhawks have been invited to be guests of the Kansas City Current on Sunday. Kansas won the 2023 WNIT Championship with a 66-59 victory over Columbia on April 1 at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks also defeated Western Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas and Washington on its path to the tournament crown, and KU finished 25-11 on the year for its most wins in a season since 1996-97. Kansas also set a new single-season school record with 19 victories at Allen Fieldhouse during the 2022-23 season, including the WNIT Championship game, which was played in front of a crowd of 11,701 fans.

COMMUNITY CHAMPION
The Kansas City Current are proud to honor the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOSCA) as the Community Champion of the Match in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The Kansas City Current and MOSCA have teamed up to commit to building a safer community for fans, friends and allies. Together, we can build a SAFE KC. Learn more about MOCSA’s Sexual Assault Free Environment (SAFE) training program.