KC Current’s performance confirms coach made right moves. Now they’re playing for title

When coach Matt Potter discussed potential replacements for injured KC Current mainstay Claire Lavogez with The Star ahead of Sunday’s NWSL semifinal match against the OL Reign in Seattle, he identified three possible options:

Elyse Bennett, Chloe Logarzo and Addie McCain.

Come game day in Seattle, none was Potter’s final choice.

It’s a good coach’s trick, a sleight of hand meant to shift focus away from a more obvious conclusion. In the end — and in an approach that he likely had in mind all along — Potter left the Current’s back line as it was, without talented rookie defender Alex Loera moved to that portion of Sunday’s starting lineup.

Loera remained in the midfield, with Desi Scott returning to her usual role of center defensive midfielder.

“Bringing Desi back into the game but losing Claire, we lost a little bit of ‘this’ but gained a little bit of ‘that,’” Potter said of his game-day decision at Lumen Field. “Alex loves to express herself on the attacking side of the game, and she was allowed to do that a little bit more (on Sunday).”

Loera doesn’t possess Lavogez’s penchant for attacking and driving at defenders. What she does bring, however, is great 1v1 defending in space and a deft touch on line-breaking passes. Adding that farther up the field helped the KC defense remain resolute throughout a taut match.

In turn, Loera got to showcase her offensive ability. She led the team in passes complete and passes in the final third while recording the second-most touches of any KC Current player.

Loera even expressed herself with a goal: Her late run into the box enabled her to blast home the game’s first score less than five minutes into the match. And then she nearly netted a second one, curling a shot just wide of the post a few minutes later.

Loera’s defensive work rate is relentless. She’s a defender by trade, and that, too, showed up in the stat sheet.

Potter used all of this to the Current’s advantage, clogging the spaces for OL Reign’s Rose LaVelle and Jess Fishlock when they didn’t have possession of the ball, and then breaking out and countering quickly with numbers forward.

It was a plan that helped the Current pitch a shutout in Sunday’s semifinal match and ultimately paved their way to Washington, D.C., where they’ll meet the Portland Thorns at 7 p.m. Saturday for the league championship (TV: CBS, Paramount+).

“As the game wore on,” Potter said, “obviously the shapes and the way we structured and put the pieces together adjusted a little bit.”

In assessing how Loera was able to assume such a critical role in Lavogez’s absence, observers got another glimpse into just how important locker-room trust is to the Current.

The players trust each other, and they trust their head coach. In turn, he trusts them to rise to the occasion when such opportunities present themselves.

“The group believes in each other,” Potter said. “They believe in what we’re doing. We’re united in how we go about that every day.”

This story was originally published October 25, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "KC Current’s performance confirms coach made right moves. Now they’re playing for title."