Match Preview: Kansas City Current trek west to face San Diego Wave

The Kansas City Current (3-0-0, 9 pts., 2nd place) resume National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) action following the international break with its second road match of the season. The Current will head to the West Coast to face the San Diego Wave (1-1-1, 4 pts., 5th place) on Saturday night at Snapdragon Stadium with kickoff slated for 9 p.m. CT (7 p.m. PT).  

The match will broadcast nationally on ION with Maura Sheridan and Jordan Angeli on the call. Locally, the match will be simulcast on KMCI, 38 the Spot. Fans in Kansas City can also listen to Dave Borchardt and Jillian Carroll Letrinko call the action on 90.9 The Bridge or on the KC Current App in English, Spanish or Portuguese.

Kansas City returns to the pitch after a 3-0 win over the Utah Royals in its last appearance on March 29 at CPKC Stadium. Goalkeeper Lorena earned her second consecutive shutout while Temwa Chawinga, Michelle Cooper and Debinha contributed goals. Chawinga tied her own NWSL record for consecutive regular season appearances scoring a goal with eight. Cooper recorded a goal and an assist in the same match for the first time in her NWSL regular season career while Debinha notched her 49th career regular season goal, which ranks ninth in league history. 

BEST OF THE BEST

Forward Temwa Chawinga, the 2024 NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner, has picked up right where she left off. On April 3, Chawinga was named the March NWSL Player of the Month presented by EA SPORTS for the fourth time in her career. She has scored in all three matches thus far to top league standings with a trio of goals, and leads all players with nine shots and six shots on target. Chawinga has now scored in eight consecutive regular season appearances, and 16 of her last 17.

A league-leading five Current players were named to the NWSL Best XI of the Month, presented by Amazon Prime, for March. Goalkeeper Lorena, defender Alana Cook, midfielders Debinha and Lo’eau LaBonta along with Chawinga landed on the team, as announced on April 4. KC’s five honorees are the second-most in league history for a given month behind Chicago’s six in September 2019. Debinha earned a spot on the Best XI of the Month team for the 14th time in her career, which matches the NWSL record first set by Casey Krueger (née Short).

KEEP ON MARCHING ON

The first month of the NWSL regular season brought historic success for the Current as the team now turns the page to its April slate. Boasting a 3-0-0 record to start the 2025 campaign, the Kansas City Current are the second NWSL team to have opened consecutive seasons with three straight wins after North Carolina 2017 and 2018. Kansas City has played seven NWSL regular season matches in March in club history and owns a 6-1-0 record in those contests. That .857 winning percentage is the highest of any NWSL team in a single month (minimum five games played in the given month).

Heading into April, the Kansas City Current and the Orlando Pride sit atop league standings with nine points apiece as the only two teams without a loss or draw. It is the first time in NWSL history two teams have started the season 3-0-0. Only three teams in league history have won their first four matches of the season (North Carolina in 2017 and 2018 and Seattle in 2014). Both North Carolina squads and Seattle went on to win the NWSL Shield and reach the championship match those seasons.

WATER WAR

Saturday will be the seventh edition of the “Water War” between the Current and the Wave with Kansas City leading the series at 4-1-1, including 3-0-0 in San Diego. Kansas City has won each of its last three matches against San Diego despite conceding a goal in each.

The Current’s last meeting with the Wave on Oct. 19, which closed out the home portion of the 2024 regular season at CPKC Stadium, was one for the record books. The match marked the Current’s 13th shutout of the 2024 NWSL regular season, meaning Kansas City became the first team in NWSL history to sell out every regular season home match. Temwa Chawinga, who converted in the 54th minute to extend her own NWSL single season scoring record to 20, became the first player in league history to notch a goal against all 13 teams in one season. Debinha’s 80th-minute strike marked the Current’s 54th goal of the 2024 regular season to tie North Carolina’s team scoring record from 2019 – a record Kansas City would later clinch outright.

ON RECORD WATCH

After becoming just the 12th player in NWSL history to reach 15,000 minutes played, more history is on the horizon for midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo. She is one assist away from sharing a piece of the NWSL regular season assist record. With 30, she is currently one behind Sophia Huerta and Jess McDonald who co-own the record with 31. DiBernardo also owns the Kansas City Current franchise record for NWSL regular season assists with eight.

Also on record watch is forward Temwa Chawinga. A goal in San Diego would be her ninth consecutive regular season appearance scoring, a streak that dates back to Sept. 20, 2024 (she did not dress for last year’s regular season finale on Nov. 3, 2024). That would break her own record first set from June 9 to Sept. 7, 2024, and tied on March 29. Additionally, a goal against the Wave would propel her to become the second player in NWSL history to score in her first four appearances of a season, joining Alex Morgan from 2021.  

GOT THE CALL UP

Several Kansas City Current players will rejoin the team after being called up by their respective national teams during the FIFA international window from March 31 to April 8. Forward Michelle Cooper, midfielder Claire Hutton and defender Alana Cook were named to the United States Women’s National Team. Goalkeeper Lorena was called up by Brazil, forward Nichelle Prince was with Canada, midfielder Rocky Rodríguez got the invite from Costa Rica and Jereko was tabbed to Kenya’s roster.

Additionally, forward Mary Long and defender Katie Scott received an invitation to the U.S. Under-18 Women’s Youth National Team training camp in Fayetteville, Ga. They were part of a 24-player squad selected by U-18 head coach Jen Klein, and their camp was held concurrently with the U.S. U-19 training camp.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Kansas City Current midfielder Debinha – Debinha has two goals and an assist in the first three games of the 2025 season. Her most recent tally on March 29 against the Utah Royals marked her 49th career NWSL regular season goal. She is just one away from the 50-goal mark, a milestone only seven players in NWSL history have reached. In the season opener on March 15 against the Portland Thorns, Debinha recorded a goal and an assist for just the second time in her career during the regular season. She earned a spot on the NWSL Best XI for March, the 14th such honor of her career to equal the league record. Debinha, who has started all three games thus far, is also five matches away from reaching 150 career regular season appearances.

San Diego Wave midfielder Gia Corley – Gia Corley, who was acquired in January from TSG Hoffenheim Frauen in Germany, has made an immediate impact in her first NWSL season. She has started all three matches for San Diego and leads the team with two goals. In the Wave’s season opener on March 16, Corley scored within the first five minutes against Angel City FC to make her just the sixth player in NWSL history to score within the first five minutes of her debut and the fourth to do so as a starter. She landed on the NWSL Best XI for March.

AVAILABILITY REPORT 

OUT: Gabrielle Robinson (SEI – Knee), Alex Pfeiffer (SEI – Knee), Kristen Hamilton (Hip) 

QUESTIONABLE: Vanessa DiBernardo (Knee), Rocky Rodríguez (Thigh) 

INTERNATIONAL DUTY: None 

Limited single-match tickets for 2025 regular season home matches are now on sale to the general public. The best way to ensure you won’t miss a second of the action at CPKC Stadium is by joining the Current Club, the Current’s trailblazing fan membership experience. Focused on ensuring fans continue to be able to access exclusive opportunities, members can unlock special benefits like priority access to single match tickets, members-only gifts and discounts, access to live and virtual events, exclusive content and more. 2025 Season Ticket Member Account Holders are already enrolled in Current Club at no additional cost. Click HERE for more information about the Current Club.