KC Current put 11-game unbeaten streak on line Sunday against upset-minded NC Courage
The Kansas City Current will be looking to extend their torrid unbeaten streak to 12 games on Sunday against the North Carolina Courage.
And this game against a familiar opponent could pose more of a challenge than one might initially suspect.
After all, the Courage put a halt to the National Women’s Soccer League’s other 11-match unbeaten streak on Wednesday, beating the Portland Thorns 3-1 in Cary, N.C.
“They’re a team in form,” Current coach Matt Potter said. “They score a lot of goals. ... (T)hey find ways to score multiple goals every game they play in. The challenge for us is we’re going to have to minimize those moments and not give them clear opportunities.”
The Current’s last matchup with North Carolina was one of the wildest games of the season. Claire Lavogez’s stunning winner and assist on the tying goal earned her player of the week honors as the Current survived a 4-3 slugfest.
The number of goals that KC conceded in that match concerns Potter. The Courage can strike quickly on the counterattack, typically finding the net when they get the ball to one of their electric front three.
“They’re very quick with the ball and very quick without the ball,” Potter said. “They have some personnel that anyone would want on their team.
“It can become a transitional game. It’s definitely a fair pace to it. We’ll have to match that intensity, but we’ve shown the ability to do that.”
Current defender Hailie Mace said the home team on Sunday — the match is set for 6 p.m. at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. — will have to be more conscious about throwing numbers forward than they might like.
“When the other team is doing the same thing,” she explained, “it kind of makes us stay back a little bit more and have to worry about certain players like Debinha.”
Mace was called up to the U.S. Women’s National team late this past week. U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski’s initial roster for a slate of upcoming friendlies that includes a Sept. 3 match in Kansas City had included Kelly O’Hara as a defender; but when she was forced to withdraw due to injury, Mace earned her first call-up since 2019.
“I wasn’t really expecting it,” Mace said. “It was kind of a shock, so I’m super-excited to be called in. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Mace’s unanticipated call-up wasn’t the only big news for the Current in the past week. The USWNT also confirmed that it will train at the Current’s new facility in Riverside.
“I think that’s an added bonus that we’re going to be training here and playing at our home field,” Mace said.
And the biggest news of all? The Current traded Victoria Pickett to NY/NJ Gotham FC. Pickett was a rookie of the year finalist in 2021 and had played well this season, but Lavogez’s summertime signing, coupled with the Current’s needs elsewhere on the roster, made Gotham’s offer too enticing to refuse.
For some perspective about the magnitude of the deal, Gotham’s return package for Pickett was equal to what the Current surrendered last offseason in order to acquire all-time NWSL scoring leader Lynn Williams. Moreover, Pickett had made herself a fan favorite here in Kansas City.
“I do know that we’ve lost a quality player, and lost an even better human being,” Potter said. “She was an integral part of what we did. ... She leaves with a lot of love for her, and I hope she goes on to have the career that her talent displays she certainly can go get.”
This story was originally published August 27, 2022 at 12:15 PM with the headline "KC Current put 11-game unbeaten streak on line Sunday against upset-minded NC Courage."