Signed through 2023, Kansas City NWSL’s new team captain has a big-time role to play
Kansas City’s National Women’s Soccer League team may be enduring a tough return to the world’s premier soccer division, but that hasn’t dissuaded Rachel Corsie from believing in her squad’s long-term vision.
Corsie signed onto a two-year contract extension this week after being named club captain following the departure of Amy Rodriguez via a trade to North Carolina. The deal will keep Corsie in KC through 2023.
“The club has shown that they have a big vision for what they have planned and I think that’s something that’s exciting as a player to be a part of,” Corsie told The Star.
“I think the expectation and framework that’s being put together for us to continue to build on this is something that to me has a lot of potential,” she continued. “I feel good about the decision to stay here, I think it’s the right fit for me and I think that’s what’s important.”
Corsie is the second player to sign a contract through 2023 in recent weeks for Kansas City. Versatile winger-turned-defender Mallory Weber signed a similar contract extension through 2023 on July 30 as KC coach Huw Williams looks to build a core of players moving forward.
The pair of players will play a huge part in helping to build a winning culture in Kansas City, but it all starts with Corsie at the heart of Kansas City’s defense.
Williams sees Corsie as the type of player that fits perfectly into the type of system he wants to continue to implement going forward: playing the ball out of the back.
“She’s a very technical centerback, among the most technical on our team,” Williams said. “We want to be able to play possession stuff, we want to be able to play out of the back when it’s on… We’re going to play out of the back to create to opportunities. And Rachel has the technical ability to do that.”
She’s also the type of player that Williams can trust to lead the team out on the field. The duo is still working on seeing and analyzing the run of play in a game as it happens, but their overall philosophical approaches to the game are very similar.
“It’s a different view when they’re playing. So they’ll see stuff and we need that input, there’s no magic wand, abracadabra and we’ve got the answer,” Williams said. “I’m confident in my coaching to know that I’ll have some good ideas, I’m also confident enough to take input.”
The Scottish center back has played in the NWSL since 2015 before moving to the Utah Royals (and therefore the current group of Kansas City players) in 2018.
She’s since then developed a leadership role at the back, lending from coaches and players that she’s played from throughout her career. It’s a list that includes the likes of former FC Kansas City captain Becky Sauerbrunn and fellow Scot Kim Little, but chief among them is World Cup-winning goalkeeper Hope Solo.
Corsie played with Solo at the Seattle Reign (now called OL Reign) when the former first moved to the United States in 2015.
“Having someone like Hope behind you at that time was invaluable to me,” Corsie said. “She was someone I absolutely admired and looked up to, an incredible career.”
She marveled at Solo’s daily drive to push not only herself but the players around her to get better. It’s a characteristic that Corsie has carried into her own responsibilities as not only both a veteran and now a captain, but part of the long-term plans at KC NWSL.
“I always try my best to make others around me have the best chance to perform as well as they can,” Corsie said. “I think that’s where I feel like as a player you’re beneficial to the team not just through how you perform individually but your role in helping everyone work together as a collective.”
This story was originally published August 12, 2021 at 5:39 PM with the headline "Signed through 2023, Kansas City NWSL’s new team captain has a big-time role to play."