How visualizing success helps this KC Current player succeed (anywhere on the field)
Down a goal in Chicago and in search of a tactical spark, the Kansas City Current changed up its formation, moving Kristen Edmonds from right-back to midfield.
Good call. Thanks largely to that switch, the Current would come from behind and win the National Women’s Soccer League road match 2-1.
But if Edmonds didn’t possess a Swiss Army knife-like ability to play almost anywhere on the field, such a mid-game change might not have been successful.
She has played across all three lines at various points in her career, but so far this season, she’s found a home as an outside-back. Current coach Matt Potter believes her can-do attitude sets her up for success anywhere on the field.
“She takes every challenge on, no matter what you throw at her,” Potter said. “She’s very balanced ... she doesn’t get too high or too low emotionally, and she’s able then to go execute her qualities from wherever you put her.”
Visualization helps. Edmonds calls herself a soccer junkie, which in turn makes her a student of the game. She watches it all — men’s games (she’s an avid Manchester United fan) and women’s games alike.
She believes that immersing herself in soccer helps her continue to learn the little things she can do to play at a high level in any position.
“It keeps me on my toes,” she said. “I’m not really sure day in and day out where I’m going to be, but that’s what makes it fun, too.”
Edmonds’ appreciation for watching soccer of all kinds dovetails nicely with the Current’s off-field approach to training. Potter and his KC coaching staff use video to illustrate game situations their players might see during upcoming matches.
“The idea is not to bombard them with the pictures all at once,” Potter said. “It’s to slowly drip-feed things in throughout the course of a week so that ultimately, come game day, they feel in a good place in body and mind.”
Edmonds takes this a step further still, seeking out extra game film on specific positions she might be playing.
“That way I’m mentally prepared to go into the game,” she said. “I even do a little visualization before the game so I’m prepared in that moment. If I get moved, I get moved. It’s just kind of a little switch of a mindset there to be ready to be put wherever.”
Unsurprisingly, Potter commends Edmonds for her film-study.
“That to me sounds like an experienced professional, which Kristen is,” the coach said. “She uses tools such as visualization to her advantage to gain that competitive advantage ...”
The KC Current return to the field Friday night against the Houston Dash in their penultimate group-stage game of the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup tournament. Kickoff at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan., is slated for 7 p.m. Central Time.
This story was originally published April 14, 2022 at 1:45 PM with the headline "How visualizing success helps this KC Current player succeed (anywhere on the field)."