Portland Thorns top KC Current 2-0 for NWSL championship. Here’s the story of the match
The Kansas City Current’s enchanted season came to an abrupt end in Saturday night’s National Women’s Soccer League’s championship game at Audi Field in the nation’s capital.
With an early goal by league MVP Sophia Smith and a KC own-goal, Portland captured its third title with a 2-0 victory that left the Current with a runner-up finish.
Regardless of Saturday’s outcome, the Current without question had an incredible year: they broke ground on a new stadium, opened a state-of-the-art training center and enjoyed a 13-game unbeaten streak after dwelling in the NWSL cellar throughout season one.
On the field, the Current were one of the last two NWSL teams standing in 2022, so there’s lot of build on for 2023 and beyond.
The Current reached the championship game in D.C. by beating the Houston Dash 2-1 in the quarterfinals and OL Reign 2-0 in last weekend’s semifinals.
A crowd with plenty of teal sprinkled throughout saw Portland score Saturday night’s opening goal in just the fourth minute. Current forward Kristen Hamilton lost possession near midfield and that Portland initiated a breakaway toward the KC goal.
Elizabeth Ball had a chance to corral the ball on the run but could quite get there. That left Smith one-on-one with Current goalkeeper AD Franch, and Smith won that battle.
The Thorns controlled play for most of the first half, taking roughly twice as many shots as KC, and led 1-0 at halftime. That disparity in not only shots, but possession, continued throughout the match.
Portland’s second score was a Current own-goal assessed to defender Addisyn Merrick in the 65th minute. It was the first own-goal ever in an NWSL championship game.
That was a distinction the Current no doubt didn’t want, and here’s another they’d probably like to forget: no shots on target Saturday evening. KC had nine shots overall. Portland, meanwhile, finished with 18 shots overall and six on target.
If not for a couple of fully-laid-out saves by Franch, the final scoreline might well have been tilted even more in Portland’s favor.
Current win award at halftime
At halftime, the NWSL & Nationwide announced that the Current and Global FC are the 2022 recipients of the Nationwide Community Impact Award, “a season-long, community-focused initiative that promotes community partners and local service projects chosen and led by each NWSL club.”
Current owners Angie and Chris Long were part of a group that accepted a ceremonial check for $25,000.
Per a release from the league: “Originally created as a community development project to assist refugees during resettlement, Global FC uses soccer to bridge socioeconomic disparities between communities through the formation of an inclusive sports culture.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2022 at 9:06 PM with the headline "Portland Thorns top KC Current 2-0 for NWSL championship. Here’s the story of the match."