KC Current nicked by Thorns in NWSL season opener. Challenge Cup semifinal is Wednesday
The Kansas City Current fell flat in their National Women’s Soccer League regular-season opener on Saturday, falling 3-0 to the Thorns in Portland.
While Potter would disagree that he did so with an eye toward the Challenge Cup semifinal that looms on Wednesday, the KC Current rotated their squad a bit more than they had in their most recent match. Usual starters Kristen Hamilton, Desiree Scott and Victoria Pickett all started Saturday afternoon’s match on the bench, coming on later as substitutes.
Ostensibly, the moves might’ve been made to keep players’ legs fresh for a second game in less than a week. But ...
“We put out a lineup that we felt could give us a chance to win the game here,” Potter insisted. “We believe in the squad and the depth of the squad.”
The coach also believes his team just didn’t execute well enough to get the job done.
“For me, it wasn’t necessarily about formations or the players within it,” Potter said. “It was about how we executed from a technical decision-making scenario.”
The action was all Portland from the first kick. The Thorns kept Current goalkeeper A.D. Franch busy in net, putting 12 of 19 shots on target, and opened the scoring in the eighth minute when Morgan Weaver pounced on a rebounded save by the KC keeper.
“I think we started a bit slow in terms of defensively dealing with their attack, dealing with their switch and their attacking presence they have,” Current captain Desiree Scott said. “Those second balls and just the little things were falling short for us.”
Soccer legend Christine Sinclair added to her career tally with a goal in the 34th minute, and Sophia Smith’s excellent strike just on the other side of halftime put the match out of reach for the Current.
To make matters worse for KC than one loss in a shutout, Mallory Weber had to come off in the 19th minute after sustaining a non-contact injury to her leg on the turf at Providence Park.
“As much as I can be disappointed in how we executed, a lot of it had to do with how well Portland played,” Potter said. “You would expect that from Portland’s home opener.”
The Current now turn their attention to Wednesday’s Challenge Cup semifinal against the North Carolina Courage at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. The match that will send its victor to the Challenge Cup final is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Central Time.
“I think the message we’re giving to the rest of the squad is for us to fuel our fight going into Wednesday,” Scott said. “We don’t want to feel like this again.
“We’re back at home where we want to get those points and get into a final. So we’ll be motivated and fired up.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2022 at 7:29 PM with the headline "KC Current nicked by Thorns in NWSL season opener. Challenge Cup semifinal is Wednesday."