Nine games into winless first season, KC NWSL needs to make most of its chances now
In a league where every chance matters, KC NWSL’s players are struggling to make the most of theirs ... and they’re getting punished for the ones they give up.
Kansas City lost yet another close game, this time 1-0 against the Houston Dash in the pair’s third meeting in 2021, on Sunday. It was the fourth game the women’s pro soccer team has lost by one goal, and the second in a row in which this team has found some of its best chances to score late in the match.
While Orlando and Portland are working to separate themselves as the NWSL’s top two teams so far, the league competition is tight and every opportunity is crucial — especially for Kansas City, a team still seeking its first win.
Sunday’s game almost went in a very different direction when forward Mariana Larroquette’s header sailed past Houston goalkeeper Jane Campbell. No goal. It was called back on an offsides call.
“This league is so tight, every game seems to be within a goal or so,” KC coach Huw Williams said. “The goal was probably a fraction offside. ... But it’s those little things like that are differences from us going home with three points instead of zero points.”
Chances given up have been punished, too. Houston’s last three goals against KC have come from free headers in the box. Williams called Sunday’s free header by Houston’s Katie Naughton a “disappointing way to give up a goal.”
“It’s attention to details, it’s a responsibility on the way we gave that goal away, too,” Williams said. “To win games, we’ve got to score goals and we cannot concede goals.”
KC’s only clean sheet so far came in a 0-0 draw against Racing Louisville FC.
Forward Darian Jenkins had two quality opportunities in the second half against the Dash, but one was called offsides and the other was pushed over the crossbar via a quality save from Campbell. Defender Rachel Corsie also had a header and a shot in Houston’s box, but she couldn’t get a strong header on the cross.
“If you don’t take your chances, you get punished,” Corsie said. “But I thought we created a lot of chances, a lot more than we have done. ... We were by far the better team, and it’s really disappointing that doesn’t account for more than zero points.”
With the international break, KC’s now off until June 20’s schedule game at the second-place Portland Thorns.
“We have a couple weeks to get better,” Williams said. “We’ve got a couple weeks to right the ship here and find ways to win games instead of finding ways to lose games.”
This story was originally published June 6, 2021 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Nine games into winless first season, KC NWSL needs to make most of its chances now."