Match Preview: Kansas City Current square off against San Diego Wave for final regular season home match of 2024

KANSAS CITY (Oct. 18, 2024) –– The Kansas City Current (14-3-7, 49pts., 4th place) return home for the club’s final home match of the 2024 regular season Saturday, when the Current host the San Diego Wave (5-12-7, 22pts., 11th place) at CPKC Stadium. Saturday’s regular season home finale is Heart Health Awareness and Fan Appreciation Day, presented by CPKC, where the Current will celebrate the best fans in the NWSL while simultaneously raising awareness about heart health.

The match kicks off at 12 p.m. CT and will broadcast nationally on CBS with Jacqui Oatley and Lori Lindsey on the call. Fans in Kansas City can listen to the action with Jillian Carroll Letrinko and Jake Yadrich on 90.9 The Bridge or on the KC Current App in English, Spanish or Portuguese. Additionally, the Current will be honoring the legendary career of midfielder Desiree Scott, who will retire from professional soccer following the 2024 season, throughout the duration of Saturday’s match.

Last weekend, the Current secured a historic 1-0 road victory against Bay FC. The victory helped Kansas City not only secure its first ever home playoff game in franchise history, but also the first ever home playoff game at CPKC Stadium. Forward Temwa Chawinga scored the lone goal of the contest with a long-range shot in the 35th minute, a historic strike that handed her sole possession of the NWSL single season scoring record. Chawinga has 19 goals and passed Sam Kerr for sole possession of first place. Last Saturday’s contest also marked the Current’s first-ever road match at Bay FC, which the club capped with a victory.

The Current’s defense has dominated matches over the last month-and-a-half of the regular season, a trend that continued in the Bay Area. A strong defensive performance, including heroic defending by defender Kayla Sharples and another strong performance in net from goalkeeper Almuth Schult, boosted the Current to its fifth shutout in the club’s last six matches. Kansas City has not conceded multiple goals in a match since Sept. 1 against the North Carolina Courage, which also marked the last time an opponent scored a goal against the Current. The Current have conceded one goal in the club’s last six matches, which came via an own goal in a 1-1 draw against NJ/NY Gotham FC Sept. 28.

San Diego enters Saturday’s contest in desperate need of a victory following a 2-0 loss against the Houston Dash last Saturday. The Wave would be eliminated from postseason contention with a loss against the Current. Also of note, San Diego played a midweek match against Liga MX Femenil side Club América Wednesday night, which marked the Wave’s final group stage match of the 2024 Concacaf W Champions Cup. Club América won Wednesday night’s contest 1-0 after a a 23rd minute red card by San Diego goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan reduced the Wave to 10 players. Club América found the match-winning goal in the 58th minute, which eliminated the Wave from the Concacaf W Champions Cup.

The first regular season match between the sides came nearly seven months ago, when the Current downed the San Diego 2-1 on March 24 at Snapdragon Stadium. The Wave opened the scoring with a goal in the 17th minute, but Current defender Izzy Rodriguez found an equalizer just before halftime. Midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta put the Current ahead for good in the 71st minute from the penalty spot, and Kansas City held on for victory in the team’s second regular season match of 2024.

HONORING “THE DESTROYER”
Saturday’s match will be a celebration of midfielder Desiree Scott’s legendary career for both club and country, as the midfielder announced her retirement from professional soccer following the 2024 season Thursday morning. The announcement caps a legendary 18-year career which includes, entering Saturday, 311 career matches for both Club and Country. Scott spent seven professional seasons in Kansas City and has been with the Current since the club debuted in 2021.

The Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada native played more than 10,000 career minutes in her 10 NWSL seasons, a mark she reached with the Current on Aug. 7, 2022. Internationally, Scott has been on three FIFA Women’s World Cup squads (2011, 2015, 2019) and is a three-time Olympic medalist. Scott featured in Canada’s Bronze Medal winning squads in 2012 and 2016, and helped Canada bring home its first-ever women’s soccer Gold Medal at the Tokyo 2021 Games.

An NWSL veteran, Scott joined the NWSL prior to its debut season through the NWSL Player Allocation and was assigned to FC Kansas City (FCKC). She featured as a starter in the first-ever NWSL match, held on April 13, 2013, at Shawnee Mission District Stadium between FCKC and the Portland Thorns. Scott is one of 19 remaining players who played in the NWSL’s debut season. A founding member of the Kansas City Current, Scott is one of just three remaining players from the Current’s original roster.

The Current will honor Scott in a variety of ways throughout the duration of Saturday’s contest. Fans in attendance will have the opportunity to receive a replica pink headband, presented by Pepsi, upon entry to CPKC Stadium — a homage to Scott’s signature on-field look. Fans are encouraged to stay in their seats following the match for a special on-field ceremony celebrating Scott’s career and hear from Scott herself.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas City Current midfielder Desiree Scott –– An NWSL veteran and franchise icon, Scott will play her final regular season home match Saturday. With the Current, Scott has been along for the ride for every step of the club’s ascent. Scott was the team captain and midfield anchor for a 2022 Kansas City Current squad that completed one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in NWSL history, which was capped by the club’s first-ever appearance in the NWSL Championship. She missed the entire 2023 season due to injury but overcame the setback and returned to the field for the Current on March 31, 2024, against Angel City FC at CPKC Stadium. Scott has made nine appearances in the 2024 regular season for the Current.

San Diego Wave defender Naomi Girma –– San Diego Wave defender Naomi Girma has made an immediate mark on both the NWSL and the United States Women’s National Team since being named the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NWSL Draft. She was named the 2022 Rookie of the Year and 2022 NWSL Defender of the Year, while also helping lead the Wave to the 2023 NWSL Shield and 2024 NWSL Challenge Cup. For country, Girma became the first defender ever to be named US Soccer’s Player of the Year, and helped the USWNT win Olympic gold as the only field player to play every second of the 2024 Paris Games. Girma will be tasked with slowing down a historically lethal Current attack that, entering Saturday, has scored the fourth-most regular season goals of any team in NWSL history.

TEMWA MAKES HISTORY
Chawinga made NWSL history last weekend against Bay FC, recording her 19th goal of the 2024 regular season with a brilliant strike from distance. Chawinga now holds sole possession of the NWSL regular season scoring record, passing Sam Kerr’s total of 18 goals in 2019. The historic moment cemented a legendary debut season that has seen Chawinga take the NWSL by storm, as the Malawi international has taken a commanding lead in the NWSL Golden Boot race and is a contender for NWSL MVP.

For starters, Chawinga also holds an NWSL regular season record for total goal contributions (19 goals, six assists). With two regular season matches remaining, Chawinga has ample opportunity to add to both of her offensive records before the NWSL regular season draws to a close. Chawinga also has the chance to set another remarkable NWSL record Saturday against San Diego, as she has scored a goal against 12 of 13 NWSL squads thus far in 2024. The lone squad Chawinga has yet to score against this season is San Diego and, with a goal Saturday, she could become the first player in NWSL history to score a goal against all 13 other clubs in one season.

Chawinga’s generational offensive talent is undeniable, but her well-rounded play has also been a massive benefit to the Current’s overall success in 2024. Chawinga frequently kickstarts scoring opportunities with her defense, and the forward has won 143 total duels and 28 tackles in the 2024 regular season. The Malawian forward has also recorded eight total interceptions and won possession of the ball 35 times in the final third — over 26% of her 140 possessions won overall.

As Chawinga puts the finishing touches on perhaps the most impressive debut season in NWSL history, her record-setting campaign has placed her squarely in the conversation to take home the coveted NWSL MVP. As a franchise, the Current have never had a player win either the NWSL Golden Boot or NWSL MVP.

HOME FIELD? ADVANTAGE.
Saturday’s contest marks the final NWSL regular season home match at CPKC Stadium of the 2024 regular season. And while there’s still at least one home postseason match to be played, the Current have christened the first purpose-built stadium in the world for a women’s professional sports team with a spectacular debut home season.

The Current have a 14-1-3 record at CPKC Stadium in 2024 across all competitions, including a dominant run in the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup and a triumph in The Women’s Cup. Kansas City reached the 50-goal threshold in NWSL regular season play last Saturday against Bay FC, becoming just the fourth team in league history to reach the mark, but the Current are also just one home goal away from hitting the 50-goal mark at CPKC Stadium in 2024. The Current enter Saturday’s match with 49 goals at home across all competitions.

Defensively, the Current have been equally as strong at its home venue, especially recently. Since falling 2-1 against the Orlando Pride July 6, Kansas City has conceded just three goals over its last nine home matches at CPKC Stadium in all competitions. Additionally, the Current have recorded a shutout in five of its last six home matches in all competitions.

Kansas City has at least one more home match to play following Saturday’s match, as the Current locked up a home playoff in the 2024 NWSL Playoffs, presented by Google Pixel, last weekend. The opportunity is still on the table for multiple playoff games at home, though, as the Current are separated from the second-place Washington Spirit and third-place Gotham FC by just one point.

HEART HEALTH AWARENESS AND FAN APPRECIATION DAY, PRESENTED BY CPKC
For the final home match of the 2024 regular season, the Current will thank the best fans in the NWSL and raise importance of heart health on Heart Health Awareness and Fan Appreciation Day, presented by CPKC. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to Saturday’s match to take advantage of the pre-match activations and fan appreciation opportunities before the contest.

The first 10,000 fans will receive a KC Current rally towel, courtesy of CPKC. In partnership with CPKC and 13BEATS, the Current will be holding free hands-on CPR training from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. CT on the CPKC Plaza. Saturday’s free training takes just 10 minutes and provides participants with lifesaving, hands only CPR and AED training. The first 250 fans to complete training will receive a KC Current Scarf.

Additionally, fans can enter to win fan appreciation basket prizes courtesy of KC Current partners, watch a dance performance from Grupo Quimbaya and have access to face painting and sign making booths on the CPKC Plaza starting at 9 a.m. CT. Starting at 10 a.m. CT, fans can shop new select 2024 playoff merchandise in the team store and enjoy pre-match breakfast specials from select in-stadium vendors.

TRANSPORTATION NOTE
Fans are encouraged to arrive early to Saturday’s regular season home finale against the San Diego Wave to avoid delays and take advantage of the pre-match activities on CPKC Plaza and in CPKC Stadium. Below are important elements of match day transportation for Saturday’s match.

• Expect delays due to the KC Marathon
• 7th & Main off site lots open at 9 am. Shuttle service at 7thh & Main begins at 10 am.
• Shuttle service at 2nd & Grand begins at 9:30 am.
• Shuttles will take route via Grand Boulevard Bridge. The bridge is closed to vehicles, walkers and cyclists.
• KC Streetcar service is suspended. Ride KC buses will replace the streetcar.

For more information on matchday transportation, click here.

AVAILABILITY REPORT
OUT:  Kristen Hamilton (thigh), Hailie Mace (Susp.), Alex Pfeiffer (SEI-knee), Gabrielle Robinson (SEI-knee), Mallory Weber (SEI - knee), Bia Zaneratto (foot)
QUESTIONABLE:  None
INTERNATIONAL: None