Match Recap: Kansas City Current Closes Regular Season With 2-0 Victory Over Racing Louisville FC

LOUISVILLE, KY. (Nov. 1, 2026) — The Kansas City Current (16-9-5, 53 pts., 4th place) wrapped up the 2026 NWSL regular season with a home-playoff-match-clinching 2-0 victory over Racing Louisville FC (7-20-3, 24 pts., 15th place) Sunday night at Lynn Family Stadium. Defender Kayla Sharples gave the Current a lead in the 15th minute, heading home a corner kick served in by midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo. Kansas City doubled its advantage through forward Haley Hopkins in the 59th minute, as another threatening corner kick served in by DiBernardo resulted in a Hopkins headed goal. 

Sunday’s two-goal victory officially secured a home playoff match for Kansas City. The Current will host fifth-seeded Angel City FC at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Nov. 7 at CPKC Stadium. More information can be found HERE, and tickets to Saturday’s postseason match can be purchased HERE. Kansas City is making its third consecutive postseason appearance and fourth overall in the franchise’s six-year history.

With two goals in Sunday’s match, the Current concluded the regular season with a league-high 54 goals. Kansas City’s goal tally is the second-highest in franchise history, three behind the club (and NWSL single-season) record set in 2024. The Current earned its sixth shutout victory and third road shutout of the campaign with Sunday night’s solid defensive performance. Kansas City also extended its ongoing winning streak to five matches and closed the regular season placed fourth on the NWSL table with 53 points. 
 

"As much as the three points were very important for us tonight, we get to host a playoff game now which is one step closer to the ultimate prize as the new season, the postseason, begins," said head coach Chris Armas. "We feel like we're as healthy as we've been, we're attacking well, we're defending well, and we're up for it. I'm really proud of the team and the way this team has come together, stuck together, so many good ingredients of what real teams are made of."

Kansas City took control of the contest in the early stages of the match. In the 14th minute, forward Michelle Cooper took a shot from the corner of the 18-yard box that forced a diving save from Louisville goalkeeper Maddie Prohaska. The Louisville netminder punched awaythe initial corner kick swung in by defender Izzy Rodriguez, but Kansas City capitalized on the ensuing set piece. 

DiBernardo swung the ball into the six-yard box that Sharples tracked perfectly, leaning backwards to nod a directional header downwards past a sprawling Prohaska and into the bottom right corner of the goal. The goal marked Sharples’ first of the season and her first regular season goal since May 2025. 

The Current continued to threaten as the first half wore on, with midfielder Croix Bethune firing just high in the 29th minute. Forward Temwa Chawinga hit the post in the 30th minute and nodded a dangerous header just wide in the 31st minute, but the Current maintained a 1-0 lead as the halftime whistle sounded. 

Kansas City continued to control the match as the second half began. Prohaska made a big save at the near post to deny a well-struck effort from Cooper in the 51st minute, and Hopkins had a shot blocked two minutes later as the Current’s momentum continued. 

In the 59th minute, the Current doubled its advantage thanks to another dangerous DiBernardo set piece. Her cross found Hopkins at the top of the six-yard box, where she rose over multiple Louisville defenders and steered a perfectly placed header into the bottom right corner of the goal. Hopkins’ 12th goal of the season came in her 50th appearance for the club — becoming the 15th player in club history to reach the milestone — as Kansas City took a 2-0 lead. 

The assist marked DiBernardo’s second of the contest and 13th of her Current career, tied with Chawinga for the second-most in franchise history. It also marked the 35th assist of DiBernardo’s NWSL regular season career, just one behind Seattle’s Sofia Huerta for the most assists in NWSL history. 

The Current’s defense closed the match out from there, highlighted by a diving save at the near post from goalkeeper Lorena in the 71st minute. That marked the only shot on goal Kansas City conceded in the match. Through a steady rain in the late stages of the contest, Kansas City officially secured a home playoff match with a two-goal victory. 

Kansas City closed the regular season as the NWSL’s most potent offense, with a league-high 54 goals through 30 regular season matches. The Current’s goal tally is also the second-highest in NWSL history, only trailing the club’s 2024 tally (57 goals) for the league’s all-time record. 

Rodriguez closed the regular season as the only Current player to start all 30 regular season matches. She extended her franchise-record consecutive appearances streak to 56, and her club-record consecutive starts mark to 34. She featured in all but 63 minutes of the regular season. Hopkins joined Rodriguez as the lone Current player to feature in all 30 regular season matches. 

Next weekend, Kansas City hosts fifth-seeded Angel City FC in the quarterfinal round of the 2026 NWSL Playoffs, presented by Google Pixel, at CPKC Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. CT. Saturday’s contest will broadcast nationally on CBS. Tickets to Saturday’s postseason match can be purchased HERE. Fans in Kansas City can listen to the match over the air on 90.9 The Bridge, and an audio feed of the match will be available in English, Spanish or Portuguese on the KC Current App.

NWSL Match Report 
Match: Racing Louisville FC vs. Kansas City Current 
Date: Nov. 1, 2026 
Venue: Lynn Family Stadium, Louisville, KY

Kickoff: 5:08 p.m. ET/4:08 p.m. CT
Weather: 67 degrees, cloudy
Attendance: 4,528

Discipline 
32’ Louisville – Weber (Yellow)
41’ Louisville – O’Kane (Yellow)

Scoring 
15’ Kansas City – Sharples (DiBernardo)

59’ Kansas City – Hopkins (DiBernardo)

Scoring Summary
                        1          2         F

Louisville        0          0          0

Kansas City    1           1           2

Racing Louisville FC Lineup: Prohaska, McMahon (84’ Philippus), Wright ©, Gacioch, Petersen, Milliet, Hodge (63’ McKeen), O’Kane, Hill (77’ White), Weber (77’ Lardner), Fischer (63’ Sears)
Unused Substitutes: Floyd, Jean, Ciorbu, Fusco
 

Kansas City Current Lineup: Lorena, I. Rodriguez, Sharples, Robinson, Rouse, DiBernardo (76’ Feist), LaBonta © (83’ R. Rodríguez), Bethune (76’ Hocking), Chawinga, Hopkins (67’ Debinha), Cooper (83’ White)

Unused Substitutes: Jordan, Ball, Maëva, Gemelli