Match Preview: Kansas City Current set to open home portion of UKG Challenge Cup schedule against Chicago Red Stars

The UKG Challenge Cup continues Wednesday, June 13 as the Kansas City Current host the Chicago Red Stars at 7 p.m. CT. The match will broadcast live on Paramount+ with Maura Sheridan and Lianne Sanderson on the call. Fans can listen to an audio stream featuring Dave Borchardt and Aly Trost Martin on KC Current Radio, available on the KC Current app. 

The Current sit second on the Central Division table with a 1-1-0 record. The tournament opened for the Current with a 2-0 victory over the Houston Dash in April. Sitting ahead of Kansas City in the standings is Racing Louisville who handed the Current the club’s only loss of the Challenge Cup in May.  

The Red Stars are still looking for their first points of the 2023 UKG NWSL Challenge Cup. The tournament opened for them with a 2-0 road defeat to the Houston Dash before returning home for another 2-0 defeat against Central Division leading Racing Louisville.  

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas City Current midfielder Morgan Gautrat – Gautrat made her Kansas City debut last week in limited minutes against OL Reign. One of the club’s first free agent signings. Gautrat’s debut was highly anticipated by Current fans. Unfortunately, she suffered an injury in preseason that has kept her off the field up to now. Expected to see considerable minutes for the first time this season, and against her former team, Wednesday’s match could be a big one for Gautrat and the Current.

Chicago Red Stars forward Penelope Hocking – Hocking joined the Red Stars after being picked in the first round of the 2023 NWSL draft, with this being her very first season playing in the league. The rookie has been an asset to the Red Stars in the early part of the campaign. She has eight starts and two goals for her side.

CHALLENGE CUP vs REGULAR SEASON
Depending on the competition, this rivalry has been fairly one-sided, especially over the past two seasons. One of the first games for Kansas City was against the Red Stars in the 2021 Challenge Cup with both teams splitting the points. Since then, the Current have won both Challenge Cup matchups by a combined four goals to two. However, when the fixtures change over to the NWSL regular season, Kansas City has yet to find a victory, going 0-2-1 in the past three attempts.

HOMECOMING
There are several connections between these two clubs. Kansas City Current midfielders Vanessa DiBernardo and Morgan Gautrat were the team’s first Free Agent signings in the offseason. Prior to that, both players spent several seasons with the Red Stars. Current goalkeeper Cassie Miller played two seasons in Chicago. In 2021, Miller filled in for Alyssa Naeher while she was at the World Cup where she suffered a season-ending injury. Playing 18 games that season, she led the Red Stars to the NWSL Championship game. She earned five clean sheets in the regular season, plus two more in the playoffs. 

The pipeline is not one-sided either. Red Stars midfielder Addie McCain began her career as a member of Kansas City’s first draft class in 2021. She appeared in 25 games for Kansas City before joining the Red Stars this season. Finally, Chicago’s assistant coach Ella Masar was part of the technical staff that led the Current to the 2022 NWSL Championship game. 

COMMUNITY CHAMPION
The Don Bosco Center will be honored as Wednesday’s Community Champion of the Match. The Don Bosco Center has been operating for the past 80 years just a few blocks away from the new KC Current Stadium. They offer multiple community centers for all ages including afterschool and enrichment for children to grow in a safe environment, mental health services offered to everyone, the Don Bosco Senior Center, an Adult Education Center and more. Don Bosco has continued to position Kansas City’s ethnically diverse population of all ages to be self-sufficient and contributing members of this great community.

HOMETOWN HERO
This Match’s Hometown Hero, presented by Midwest Ford, is Brad Ordo. Ordo has volunteered at Jewish Family Services and has also been a Spiritual Care Volunteer for the past 5 years. He is currently active in the Transition for Everybody peer led support group and the Ga’avah KC Pride Group. Ordo has helped make a positive, and more inclusive environment for the LGTBQIA+ community and the KC Jewish Community.