KC Current sign defender Croix Soto to one-year deal amid injury crunch
The Kansas City Current have announced the signing of undrafted rookie center back Croix Soto to a one-year deal. Soto has been with the team for the last two weeks and was a mainstay for the University of Oregon over the last four years.
“Croix came in last week on a trial basis and did a great job fitting right in,” said general manager Camille Ashton. “We’re very excited for Croix to earn her first professional contract with the Current.”
Soto started for four years at the University of Oregon after playing her prep years in Southern California with Fusion FC. She missed the first half of her senior season with the Ducks due to injury but played in the season’s final nine games. She went undrafted in the 2023 NWSL Draft.
Along with Current midfielder Chardonnay Curran, Soto started and played every minute of the 2021 season for the Oregon Ducks, as they posted their fourth-best goals-against-per-90-minutes mark in school history. Soto and the Ducks’ back line kept nine clean sheets that season.
With injuries stacking up on the roster, the Current needed healthy bodies to play in the middle of the back line. Elizabeth Ball is still on the mend from a hamstring injury she sustained in the first match of the season. The prevailing thought was that, as the midfield continued to get healthy, Alex Loera would eventually move back to the back line, where she starred most of her rookie year.
However, Loera picked up an injury that required surgery in KC’s 4-1 loss to the Thorns, keeping her out of action for a while too.
In the meantime, rookie Gabrielle Robinson and Jenna Winebrenner are the most likely center-back pairing if coach Matt Potter continues to stick with his back four system, as opposed to the back three he used for the majority of 2022. Addisyn Merrick is also in the mix for playing time, along with Soto in the center-back position.
The Current (0-2-0) head to Chicago this weekend, taking on the Chicago Red Stars. That match on Saturday night is slated for a 7:30 p.m. Central kickoff.
This story was originally published April 14, 2023 at 12:18 PM.