KC NWSL’s new star goalkeeper Adrianna Franch is in KC for more than just soccer

Huw Williams coached one of the best teams in the girls 1990 (birth year) age group in Kansas throughout the mid-2000s.

But his team wasn’t the best team.

There was one team, KC Comets Select, that Williams could never beat. And it was all because of a certain goalkeeper that Comets Select had in net.

There was one specific game, Williams recalls, when Comets Select didn’t play its star keeper in the second half. It was the perfect opportunity to strike, Williams thought.

That was until the goalkeeper in question played as a forward instead and scored the game-winning goal.

Now as the head coach of Kansas City’s National Women’s Soccer League team, it would stand to reason that memory of youth soccer would fade to the back of Williams’ mind.

But the memory was front and center Thursday afternoon as Williams sat next to that very same goalkeeper in a packed press conference room.

But this time around, the pair was on the same side.

The goalkeeper who had been a thorn in Williams’ side at the youth level, Adrianna “AD” Franch, is now a key piece of his team after Kansas City announced the signing of Franch on Tuesday evening.

“Now you’re on my team … at last!” Williams said to Franch on Thursday as the pair retold the story.

The deal is the latest of multiple big moves Kansas City has made this summer as the club looks to improve heading into the second half of its first season in the league.

The Franch deal may be the biggest one yet, with the 30-year-old goalkeeper arriving in Kansas City as a two-time NWSL goalkeeper of the year and 2017 NWSL champion with the Portland Thorns.

It’s a blockbuster deal for a player that can become the cornerstone of Kansas City’s franchise for years to come.

“Anytime you can attract someone of the quality of AD, you do it immediately,” KC NWSL co-owner Chris Long said. “We’re really committed to making this club the best club it could possibly be.”

One thing that co-owners Chris and Angie Long, as well as Williams, repeatedly said is that not only is KC bringing in a high-quality player, but a high-quality person.

Just within the 30 minutes that Franch sat in front of the media on Thursday, that fact was clear to see.

A native of Salina, Kan., Franch’s trade to Kansas City is a homecoming.

Franch would drive over two-and-a-half hours to compete in the Heartland League in Kansas City for Comets Select and showcase her talents at the highest level.

She discussed the possibility of playing in Kansas City professionally at FC Kansas City with Williams during the NWSL’s inaugural season in 2013 but eventually ended up with the Western New York Flash.

The chance to finally return home was a dream come true for Franch.

“Thank you all for bringing me home,” were the first words out of Franch’s mouth on Thursday.

“It was definitely something that I wanted to do,” she continued. “I am grateful for my dream, everywhere that I’ve been able to play, but Kansas has been home, Kansas definitely is home.”

But it’s more than just playing soccer for Franch. She wants to help build the soccer community in Kansas City and give back to the people that helped her reach her dream.

Pursuing the dream of playing professional soccer was a new concept for many young girls in the 1990s.

Franch had grown up watching a United States women’s national team that was just rising to prominence with Olympic gold and World Cup success. She idolized U.S. goalkeeper Brianna Curry and would do anything to one day reach that level.

As a kid, a lot of the time that meant putting in extra work on the field, asking her mom or teammates to drive her to practices. Other times it was participating in cookie or candle sales, raising funds for both her soccer team and her dream.

Every person she interacted with, from the parents who gave her rides across the state to compete in Kansas City to the people buying her candles, was all part of the community that helped her reach the summit.

Now, it’s time for her to return that favor.

“You need a community to help you get somewhere. I didn’t get here on my own,” Franch said. “This is a dream of mine that somebody’s helped me with my dream, why would I not want to help someone else with theirs?”

On game days at the stadium, that includes taking time to show her appreciation to the fans and interacting with them. Off the field, she wants to help out at camps and show the passion that soccer can bring to people.

“I think for me,” Franch said, “just in general when I play, if I can help just one kid, mom, dad, man, woman, gender-neutral, transgender, anyone, one person, one human being, and make an impact on their life just by playing the beautiful game that I love, then I’ve done my job.

“Clearly I love this sport ,and I hope that that shines through to everyone.”

This story was originally published August 19, 2021 at 6:58 PM with the headline "KC NWSL’s new star goalkeeper Adrianna Franch is in KC for more than just soccer."