Having this player back in net could help the Kansas City side in KC-Houston, Part III
A familiar foe visits Legends Field Sunday, but the lineups are going to look different than the last two times these teams have met.
For one thing, Kansas City NWSL goalkeeper Abby Smith will be back in the net.
After sustaining a leg injury in the Challenge Cup on April 20, Smith has been sidelined for both of KC’s previous matches against the Houston Dash, which ended in a loss and a draw. The two meet again Sunday at 1 p.m.
Smith’s first game back from her injury, a 1-0 loss to the Orlando Pride on May 30, provided a welcome sign that the team’s starting keeper hasn’t missed a beat. One of her saves was even up for league Save of the Week; coach Huw Williams called it “top class,” and said another could’ve made the poll, too.
Smith nearly had a clean sheet against Orlando. That chance ended on a controversial call that originally appeared to be a goal-line save but was instead flagged a goal. Smith recorded four high-quality saves against a stacked Pride offense that featured Alex Morgan, Sydney Leroux and Brazilian star Marta.
“I think that as a whole should be the standard that I want to create for myself, to have games like that consistently,” Smith said. “I also think that wasn’t a result that we thought was fair, in a sense. But at the same time, we have to do our job and go based off of controlling what we can control.”
Williams is glad to have Smith back on the field as a leader and is hopeful she’ll bring additional help to the backline this weekend.
“Abby is a leader, she’s a presence, as is Nicole Barnhart, but Abby brings a little bit more with her feet,” Williams said. “(She) allows us to build on the back, but also allows us to break lines, too, by going longer. So there’s more of a threat to create opportunities for us, not just the defending last line of defense.”
Being a leader comes with the position for Smith, and stepping into that is always one of her personal goals.
“(I) can see the whole field and can kind of help navigate different plays in the flow of the game,” Smith said, “but I think it’s super important for me as a player to be a leader.”
With KC NWSL still seeking its first win of the season, Smith is ready to lead again on Sunday.
‘I have to be able to step up in big moments and try to manage any part of the game as much as I can,” she said. “And if I can help make someone else’s job easier, then I’m more than willing to do that.”
This story was originally published June 5, 2021 at 1:50 PM with the headline "Having this player back in net could help the Kansas City side in KC-Houston, Part III."