Match Preview: Kansas City Current travel to North Carolina for clash with Courage

The Kansas City Current (10-2-5, 35 pts., 3rd place) remains on the road this week as the team travels to Cary, North Carolina for a battle against the North Carolina Courage (8-8-1, 25 pts., 6th place) at WakeMed Soccer Park Sunday, September 1 at 1 p.m. CT. The match will air on CBS with Josh Eastern and Lori Lindsey on the call while Dave Borchardt and Jillian Carroll Letrinko deliver the action on 90.9 The Bridge. Fans across KC can listen to the action on the KC Current App in English and Spanish.

Kansas City returned to NWSL play last weekend in the nation’s Capital, falling to the Washington Spirit 4-1. Forward Temwa Chawinga scored her league-leading 13th goal in the loss, establishing a grip on the coveted NWSL Golden Boot award. Chawinga also tied the NWSL record for goals scored in consecutive matches, as last Sunday marked her sixth’s straight league contest with a goal. 

North Carolina fell to the Seattle Reign 1-0 last Sunday after goalkeeper Casey Murphy scored an own goal in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time. 

Across all competitions, this will be the third matchup between the two clubs this season. Kansas City defeated North Carolina twice this season, once in the regular season and once in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup Semifinals. Both matches were played at CPKC Stadium. 

Kansas City can sweep the season series with North Carolina on Sunday.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas City Current midfielder Jereko –– The midfielder made history Sunday as the first Kenyan international to take the field in NWSL history. Jereko played 25 minutes against the Spirit, recording two shots. The captain of Kenya’s national team has excelled in the Turkish Super League, scoring 23 goals last season for Hakkarigücü Spor. With nearly ten years of international experience under her belt, Jereko has logged vital minutes for the Harambee Starlets. The midfielder, who plays in an attacking role, will add more firepower to the already-dominant Kansas City attacking machine. The Current’s 41 goals scored are the league’s most this season.

North Carolina Courage defender Kaleigh Kurtz –– The center back set an NWSL record in May for consecutive minutes played in the regular season and has not been subbed out this season. Kurtz surpassed 7,000 consecutive minutes last Sunday against Seattle. The two-time NWSL Iron Woman will face a significant challenge in slowing the relentless Kansas City attack. 

MY CHAWINGA!
With a goal in Sunday’s match, Chawinga could break the record for consecutive regular season matches with a goal. Chawinga’s eight goals in her last six matches outrank eight NWSL teams during that stretch. Her season tally of 13 is higher than two other NWSL clubs this season, and level with another. With two more goals, Chawinga will tie the club record for career NWSL goals scored, held by captain Lo’eau LaBonta with 15. 

Chawinga has already broken the club’s single season record for goals, previously held by Debinha with nine. With nine matches remaining in the season, Chawinga is just five goals away from breaking the NWSL single-season goals record, set by Sam Kerr with 18 in 2019. She is on pace for 20 goals this season. 

FORTIFYING THE BACK LINE
Two Kansas City defenders have agreed to terms for contract extensions this week, the club announced.

Ellie Wheeler, selected by the club with the 18th overall pick of the 2024 NWSL Draft, has signed a four-year contract extension that will extend her time in Kansas City through 2028. Wheeler has appeared in 14 matches for Kansas City this season, starting seven. She scored her first professional goal in Kansas City’s opening match this season, enshrining her name in history in front of a sold-out crowd as the second player to score in the first stadium purpose-built for a professional women’s soccer team.

Alana Cook, acquired by the Current in a trade with the Seattle Reign in July, has agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension that runs through 2027. Cook made her debut with the team in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup against Tigres UANL August 1 and has swiftly impacted the back line. With Cook at center back, Kansas City won four straight matches across all competitions, only allowing one goal and earning shutouts in three matches. The two-time NWSL Defender of the Year finalist will remain a key part in Kansas City’s defense for at least three more seasons. 

WELCOME TO KC, KAYLA
Kansas City announced the acquisition of defender Kayla Sharples from Bay FC in a trade Wednesday. Sharples, a member of the Californian expansion side’s first-ever Starting XI, led Bay in interceptions (14) and blocks (16). Hailing from the Chicago suburbs, Sharples stayed near home for college, guiding Northwestern University’s soccer team to four straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 2015 to 2018. She recorded 47 shutouts across 87 career games for the Wildcats before being drafted by the Chicago Red Stars in 2019. Since being drafted, Sharples has chalked up 50 NWSL appearances.