Here’s who the KC Current will play in the preseason NWSL Challenge Cup soccer tourney
The Kansas City Current women’s soccer team has learned its schedule for the NWSL Challenge Cup.
The team will open the annual spring tournament on March 18 at Racing Louisville FC and play its first home game — at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. — on April 2.
The NWSL Challenge Cup precedes the National Women’s Soccer League’s regular season. The league’s 12 teams will be split into thirds, with the Current competing in the Central group alongside the Chicago Red Stars, Houston Dash and Louisville.
The Current will play their first three Challenge Cup matches on the road and their next three at Children’s Mercy Park — their home venue this season during construction of a new riverfront stadium near downtown Kansas City.
“The Cup is an exciting competition to kick off our 10th anniversary season,” NWSL competition and player affairs manager Liz Dalton said in a statement, “and we are thrilled to provide another opportunity to crown a champion.”
The Current’s 2022 Challenge Cup schedule is as follows (all times shown here are Central Time):
Friday, March 18: at Louisville, 6:30 p.m.
Friday, March 25: at Chicago, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 30: at Houston, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 2: vs. Louisville, 2 p.m.
Friday, April 15: vs. Houston, 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 24: vs. Chicago, 4 p.m.
The Current could play two additional Challenge Cup matches. The semifinal and final rounds of the tournament are slated for Wednesday, May 4 and Saturday, May 7, respectively.
The top seed from each group advances to the semifinal round. The second-place finisher with the best record will be the fourth seed for the semifinals.
Notably, there will be no 30 minutes of extra time in the event a game is tied through 90 minutes. Matches tied through full time will go straight to penalties to decide a winner.
In other news from the Current this week, Victoria Pickett and Desiree Scott have been called up to the Canadian national team for the inaugural Arnold Clark Cup, a preseason tournament in England. The Canadians play England, Germany and Spain during the Feb. 17-23 event.
Newly acquired forward Lynn Williams will be with the U.S Women’s National Team for the SheBelieves Cup during the same February international window. The U.S. squad will take on New Zealand, the Czech Republic and Iceland.
This story was originally published February 8, 2022 at 10:22 AM with the headline "Here’s who the KC Current will play in the preseason NWSL Challenge Cup soccer tourney."