Michele Vasconcelos hopes to parlay first goal into more in early going with KC NWSL

Michele Vasconcelos charged down the middle of Houston’s defense, latching onto Lo LaBonta’s pass. The volume inside Children’s Mercy Park rose as Vasconcelos closed in on Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell, and with it so did the volume of play-by-play announcer Jordan Angeli.

“Vasconcelos … VASCONCELOOOOS,” Angeli called as Vasconcelos fired the ball through Campbell’s hands and into the back of the net for the first-ever home goal in Kansas City NWSL history.

Vasconcelos’s mind was a little less hyper than Angeli’s call. At least until the ball hit the back of the net.

“Just put it on frame,” was the only thing the 26-year-old was thinking as she closed down on Campbell.

Angeli’s call is an iconic one that will live with Kansas City fans for a long time, and it was an iconic goal for Vasconcelos as she introduced herself to her new fans.

She was acquired by the Utah Royals in September 2020 for $55,000 allocation money from the Chicago Red Stars but only played one game for the Royals before the franchise moved to Kansas City two months later.

It could have been a really tough situation for the winger. Having been signed by former Utah head coach Craig Harrington, she was brought in to fit Harrington’s 3-5-2 formation which he promised would be more explosive; a tactic that fits Vasconcelos’ style of play.

But the move to Kansas City meant a new formation, new tactics and a new head coach.

Despite the challenges, she’s fit in well at Kansas City and impressed fans and KC coaching staff alike.

“We have seen Michele — or Murph is what we call her, that’s her maiden name — lots of energy and very good off the bench, against Houston in particular,” KC head coach Huw Williams said.

“Versatile player, dangerous on the attack, but she’s not a player that’s going to be winning 50/50 battles,” he continued. “That’s not who she is. But she can feed other players as well as get on the end of crosses and through balls as well.”

She played in all four games for KC in the challenge cup, including starts against the Portland Thorns and Chicago Red Stars.

As Kansas City’s core of wingers works its way back to full fitness — primarily Darian Jenkins and Mallory Weber — Vasconcelos will have to fight for her position in the lineup.

But there is the opportunity for her to appear on the pitch elsewhere, too.

“Don’t be surprised if we look at her at some point in midfield, too,” Williams said. “We like her creativity and her ability to see the game from that step behind Amy (Rodriguez), she’s able to find pockets very well, comfortable on the ball, and make those slot passes too.”

But the drop back to midfield won’t be as foreign to Vasconcelos as it would be for many other players in the league.

Vasconcelos played in midfield throughout her high school and college career at BYU, only featuring primarily as a winger her senior year of college.

Kansas City also transitions from a 4-3-3 to a 4-1-4-1 on defense, dropping the wingers into an outside midfield role in order to not only help with the attack but provide numbers for KC in the transition.

Dropping back into the midfield would allow Vasconcelos to play off the shoulder of forward Rodriguez, a player whom Vasconcelos has combined with well so far this season.

“I love playing with Amy. She is not only an amazing leader on the field but off the field,” Vasconcelos said. “So it’s really exciting for me. My next piece of my game is I need to figure out how to combine with her even more and get her in front of goal more.”

This story was originally published May 6, 2021 at 7:17 PM with the headline "Michele Vasconcelos hopes to parlay first goal into more in early going with KC NWSL."