KC Current approach 1st playoffs in same fashion they have all year: just another game

For the first time in their brief, not-even-two-year history, the Kansas City Current will take the field for a playoff match on Sunday in Houston.

It’s a win or go home scenario, a format the team encountered during the knockout phase of the NWSL Challenge Cup. But the playoffs are not quite the same as a preseason tournament. Elimination then simply meant the Current could focus fully on the NWSL regular season at hand.

A loss against the Dash would mean the Current’s season is over and the offseason would begin.

High stakes, but coach Matt Potter’s task this week has been to encourage his players to look at Sunday’s 4 p.m. match as just another game.

“One of the things we’ve tried to preach over the year is there are no big games,” he said. “They’re all opportunities to showcase yourself for something bigger than yourself.”

The Current have taken that even-keeled approach to big games all season, and by and large, it has worked for them. They were 30 seconds away from finishing third in the league, boasting a record of 10-6-6. They have five wins at home and five on the road — an even split that’s indicative of their consistency.

But veteran forward Kristen Hamilton admitted to feeling some anxiety this week, regardless of how much her coach has sought to tamp it down.

“It’s a nerve-wracking moment,” she said.

As a three-time NWSL champion, Hamilton has been through similar situations plenty of times during her career. She knows what it takes to go all the way when the margin for error becomes razor-thin.

“It’s times like these that kind of show your character, show who you are as a team,” she said. “I think that we’ve done a good job all season showing who we are in games. Grinding out results, winning big, coming back from behind — we’ve kind of shown we can do it all.”

Hamilton isn’t the only former NWSL champion on the Current’s roster. Starting goalkeeper AD Franch and reserve Sydney Schneider have played on championship squads, too, as have Lynn Williams and Sam Mewis, two stars who sustained season-ending injuries but have remained around the team.

Other soccer veterans on the roster, such as captain Desiree Scott, have international experience under their belts. They’ve seen their share of big moments, too.

“It’s just good to have people on this team with experience,” said veteran midfielder Lo LaBonta, “and hopefully they bring that winning mentality so we can bring home more bonuses and a trophy.”

It’s one thing to say their playoff opener is just another date on the calendar, but those who’ve been around the game as long as LaBonta has know that such opportunities are precious.

“It’s just another game in terms of the way we prep for it,” she said. “My only thing is we don’t know if tomorrow is promised. So that’s why I want to give my all.”

The Current will line up against the Dash on Sunday without Scott. She’ll be out because of the red card she received in the Current’s season finale. The logical replacement is Alex Loera, who excelled in relief of Scott while Scott was with Team Canada at the CONCACAF W Championships this summer.

But Potter was unsurprisingly mum about who would actually get the start on Sunday, even floating the notion that the Current might not directly change out a player like for like, instead making a different move that perhaps even alters their formation.

That would be one heck of a wrinkle to throw at a playoff opponent.

“We trust the players,” Potter said. “If we trust them to be out there, there’s the expectation to perform. That’s what it comes down to.

“Now, whoever’s out there has to be the best version of themselves, or as close as they can possibly be, because when it comes to this time of year, that’s how you progress.”

LaBonta didn’t mince words when asked how far she thinks the Current can progress in their first postseason.

“All the way,” she said. “For sure, all the way ...”

This story was originally published October 15, 2022 at 7:00 AM with the headline "KC Current approach 1st playoffs in same fashion they have all year: just another game."