KC’s new women’s pro soccer team hasn’t exactly lit up the scoreboard, but panic? Nope
Kansas City’s new National Women’s Soccer League team has taken just one point out of its first three games.
Positives? The team has scored in every game and is looking better by the week.
Negatives? They’ve also conceded in every game and sit bottom of Group B in the 2021 Challenge Cup with just one game remaining.
But as rough as things have been for the league’s newest expansion team there is no need for KC fans to fret just yet.
Kansas City has already been eliminated from the Challenge Cup but a win in the final group stage game against Tacoma, Washington-based OL Reign at home on Monday will see KC finish the tournament third in Group B. (Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.)
Looks much better, right?
Kansas City has also been fed to the wolves to begin life in the NWSL.
The league split its 10 teams into two groups based on geographical location, essentially creating an east and west division without explicitly saying so. That put KC in a group alongside 2020 Challenge Cup winners Houston Dash and runners-up Chicago Red Stars, 2020 Fall Series winners Portland Thorns and two-time NWSL Shield winners Reign.
“I wouldn’t have asked for it any different. We need tough games and we need to find out how good we are at coaching,” KC coach Huw Williams said. “This was a great start for us.”
It’s also worth looking at Group A — the east-based group.
The North Carolina Courage headline the group — the Courage has won the NWSL Shield all three years it’s competed in the league, has made the NWSL championship game all three times, and has won it twice.
Newly branded NJ/NY Gotham have performed well in the 2021 Challenge Cup, but otherwise have only ever made the playoffs once, and that was in 2013. There’s the Washington Spirit who haven’t made the playoffs since 2016, expansion team Racing Louisville who is yet to win a game, and the Orlando Pride who won its first game in 609 days earlier this month in a 1-0 win over the Spirit.
Kansas City also defeated the Pride 1-0 in a preseason-friendly in Florida.
Williams often says that there are no easy games in the NWSL, and he’s right in saying that. But like in any sport, there are harder teams and easier teams, and KC hasn’t been given any favors with its Challenge Cup group.
Another positive to take for KC is the fact that the Challenge Cup pretty much acts as a preseason tournament. The games are competitive and there’s silverware at the end of the road, but ultimately every team starts the regular season with a clean slate.
“I love it as a preseason tournament,” Williams said. “Great kickoff and the perfect opportunity for us to get our players ready for the next stages.”
Kansas City’s inaugural game at the Thorns was merely a chance to see where KC was at in a competitive fixture. The game created the benchmark for Williams and his staff and despite the loss, KC didn’t look terrible.
A subsequent 1-1 draw at Chicago and a 3-1 loss at home to Houston have shown that much work still has to be done before KC can mingle with the top clubs.
But despite picking up just a single point, each game has looked better than the last. Kansas City even looked to be the more comfortable team against Houston, only falling to a wonder strike from Kristie Mewis and a questionable penalty call in favor of the Dash.
“I’d be lying if I told you we were not playing to win the Challenge Cup; we didn’t, we didn’t advance,” Williams said. “But playing the level of opposition that we have will certainly help us and prepare us for the regular season.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 3:33 PM with the headline "KC’s new women’s pro soccer team hasn’t exactly lit up the scoreboard, but panic? Nope."