KC Current’s 13-match unbeaten streak, second-longest in NWSL history, ends at Chicago

Riding in on a 13-match unbeaten streak that ranked as the second-longest in National Women’s Soccer League history, the Kansas City Current came out flat Wednesday evening ... and the host Red Stars capitalized in a big way.

Chicago’s Mal Pugh burned the Current for two stunning goals and an assist in a 4-0 Red Stars victory, handing KC its first loss since May.

“Mal showed again why she’s an MVP candidate,” Current coach Matt Potter said.

It wasn’t the Current’s night from the start, as they found themselves down two goals inside the first eight minutes. The first resulted from a corner kick that wasn’t cleared properly, allowing for an easy Chicago tap-in.

And then Pugh took over.

The U.S. Women’s National Team winger picked up the ball in her own defensive penalty area and ran it the length of the field, nutmegging two Current defenders before dribbling past KC goalkeeper Cassie Miller and tapping the ball into an empty net.

Pugh’s second culminated another wonderful dribble through the Kansas City defense. This time she ripped a shot from distance past Miller, who was standing in for usual starting keeper AD Franch during a busy three-game week of competition.

“She created two opportunities out of transitional moments which we’ve done better with in the past than we did tonight, obviously,” Potter said. “But she still had a lot of work to do and showed her class and quality.”

That made it 3-0; Pugh added her assist on Amanda Kowalski’s goal off a corner kick.

The goals the Current conceded out of set pieces will be what sticks with Potter and the coaching staff.

“To give up goals on set pieces is something we’ve prided ourselves in not doing,” Potter said. “If anything, that controllable moment is something that we’ll probably reflect on a little bit more.”

Despite the scoreline, the Current still felt like they had control and were the better team over the majority of the match. The stats might back them up too. The Red Stars well out-performed their expected goals number (1.41 xG to 4 goals scored). They out-possessed and out-shot the Red Stars as well.

“It’s hard when not one thing falls your way in a game and the other team capitalizes on their opportunities,” Lo LaBonta said. “They didn’t have that many shots on goal, and they finished them.”

“I think that our downfall was that we couldn’t finish any of our opportunities, and be very effective in the attacking third,” she added.

After 113 days the unbeaten streak comes to a close. Before tonight they were 9-0-4 in those 13 games with a +9 goal differential and 23 goals for, while only conceding 14. While they will tell you the streak was just a talking point, it’s still been a while since they’ve come away from a match feeling like they lost.

“Obviously we’re going to take this L tonight,” captain Desiree Scott said. “We’re gonna feel those emotions. I think that’s important, humble us a little bit. But I think the belief doesn’t waver in what this team is capable of doing.”

The Current (9-5-5), who’ve bulled their way to the top of the NWSL standings this season — just their second of existence — return to action on Sunday at home against the Portland Thorns. And that makes for a captivating matchup.

The Current remains in first place for the time being but has now lost its upper hand on second-place Portland. They lead the Thorns by one point, but Portland has a game in hand.”

The match at Children’s Mercy Park is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. Central Time.

Defender Elizabeth Ball will miss the game after picking up a yellow card late in Wednesday’s match. That brought her season total to six yellows, resulting in a one-game suspension for yellow-card accumulation.

This story was originally published September 14, 2022 at 8:59 PM with the headline "KC Current’s 13-match unbeaten streak, second-longest in NWSL history, ends at Chicago."