KC Current looking for consistent offense ahead of weekend showdown with San Diego
After Monday’s inspired victory against Louisville, the Kansas City Current huddled in the middle of the field at Children’s Mercy Park.
With the players leaning in, coach Matt Potter delivered a message.
“The strength and character that you have shown this week to grind, and grind, and grind, to keep yourselves in games,” he said, “that attribute will carry you far. I’m telling you, it’s just about moments. This moment went for you. The next moment will go for you if you keep bringing what you brought. Now we keep working to bring the quality.”
That quality was evident early in the Current’s run through the 2022 NWSL Challenge Cup. But a rash of injuries and stretches of three games in seven days took their toll. Beating Louisville for their first league victory of the season was a good start, but as Potter said, they have to keep working in order to bring the quality.
Defense hasn’t been the problem. The Current have allowed more than two goals in a match just twice this season and have allowed one or fewer in eight of 13 matches across all competitions. But their attack has stagnated.
“We’re finding ourselves in good positions,” Potter said. “Now it’s about the quality in terms of our finishing and assisting, or spending more periods of time in those areas of the field to create the right moment.”
The Current scored 10 goals in their six Challenge Cup group-stage matches but have managed just three during league play. They’ve gone to their 4-3-3 configuration very rarely since the Challenge Cup group stage; utilizing it during a 2-2 tie against Orlando, they created 1.83 expected goals and netted both goals after switching up.
The Current have instead relied more on a variation of a three- or five-back system.
Potter brushed that aside, saying a formation is just a framework.
“I don’t think we’re fixated on one certain thing,” Potter said. “I think we’ll evolve to see four again, but right now what seems to be working is playing with the three.”
The coach does want to see his team string together more passes. The Current posted a 63% passing-completion rate against Louisville, nearly their lowest of the season, and the lack of accurate passes or progressive ball movement stalled out some otherwise promising opportunities.
“We have to not be afraid to rotate the ball around and switch up to the other side,” Current midfielder Victoria Pickett said. “I think we are a little too quick to kind of just put it forward. Rotating it through the middle more and just (making) that extra little pass will help.”
The Current face a tough task on Saturday in a home match that kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Led by global star Alex Morgan, the expansion-team San Diego Wave sit in first place. But Pickett believes the Current should be able to earn the three points that come with a win.
“Limiting their attack is going to be our biggest thing,” Pickett said, “and just focusing on what we do best.”
This story was originally published June 3, 2022 at 1:31 PM with the headline "KC Current looking for consistent offense ahead of weekend showdown with San Diego."