How Swedish Kansas City Current forward Mimmi Larsson is settling into life in KC, NWSL

Amid the many acquisitions made by the Kansas City Current this past offseason, the one that brought in Mimmi Larsson flew a little bit under the radar.

She might not yet be a high-profile name in soccer, but the Swedish forward with a nose for the goal is ready to make an impact in Kansas City and the National Women’s Soccer League.

Larsson got the start in the Current’s season opener and played on the wing. In the club’s second match she came off the bench as a central striker, her preferred position. While neither appearance played a part in a goal or win, Current coach Matt Potter was happy to give Larsson a couple of different looks as she gets adjusted to life in the NWSL.

“Coming into this league especially, it can be so aggressive, so transitional at times that it’s a surprise for players,” Potter said.

That’s an adjustment that Larsson admits she’s still trying to make. Her previous clubs played a slower, possession-based style.

“Here is more forward, which I like,” Larsson said. “I like the way we play, but I need to remind myself that it goes fast forward, and fast backwards sometimes also.”

While the adjustments on the field are demanding, so is Larsson’s adjustment off the field. She arrived in KC just a few days before joining the Current for a near-month of preseason work in Florida.

Part of her assimilation in America involves her getting settled as a person, as Potter is fond of reminding. It’s not just life in the NWSL that Larsson’s still getting used to, but life in Kansas City.

“In the beginning, everything was new,” she said. “But now I feel settled and try to take it day by day, practice good and enjoy life outside the field as well.”

One of her favorite parts of getting settled in America is something not many would guess: being able to make a simple right turn on a red light.

“I would love that in Sweden,” Larsson said with a laugh.

She planned to try BBQ for the first time this week while her family is in town.

Ultimately, as she continues to become more settled off the field, she hopes it’ll start to translate to her play. She said the NWSL’s transitional style is a challenge more mental in nature than physical.

“You need to always be prepared for the ball,” Larsson said. “In my former team, maybe I needed to wait a little more, and now I can make the run faster because the ball is going to come faster. So it’s more like being faster in the decision that is going to be more transitional.”

Larsson was a proven goal-scorer in Sweden. A good goal-scorer typically scores in roughly 50% of her appearances, and in 77 appearances with FC Rosengard, Larsson scored 31 goals across all competitions.

Potter believes the goals will come here, too, as Larsson’s acclimation accelerates.

“Mimmi’s settling in and she’s starting to show her quality, which is in and around the box,” Potter said. “She’s a finisher, and she doesn’t need much space to make those finishes.”

Current lose Loera for a ‘couple weeks, at least’

The KC Current have one of the most extensive injury lists in the league. And now they’ve added another name to the list in second-year midfielder and defender Alex Loera.

Potter confirmed after training on Wednesday that Loera had sustained an injury. He said the injury could’ve been addressed now or later, and she opted for now.

“Now’s the time for her to kind of put herself in a place where she feels even better than she’s shown already,” Potter said. “But we’re gonna be without her for a while.”

When asked if Loera will be out for the remainder of the season, Potter said: “It’s gonna be a couple of weeks at least.”

The Current head to Chicago this weekend to take on the Red Stars. Kickoff Saturday is set for 7 p.m. Central Time.