Kansas City Current leave New York City area with positive result against Gotham

The Kansas City Current visited the reigning National Women’s Soccer League champions on Sunday as the league returned to action following a break for international competition.

Hoping to continue their undefeated start to the season against NJ/NY Gotham, the Current got their wish in the form of a hard-fought draw.

Each team scored once and Current goalkeeper AD Franch came up with four crucial saves in a match that ended 1-1 at Red Bull Stadium in Harrison, N.J.

Coach and sporting director Vlatko Andonovski’s team controlled the opening half. But Gotham’s changes in the second half — bringing on U.S. Women’s National Team stalwarts Crystal Dunn and Lynn Williams — gave the home team control most of the rest of the way.

“Overall, the fact that we’re coming out of here with a point, I’m proud of the team, proud of the group,” Andonovski said. “This was a tough environment. We go into their home opener against the champions, and getting a point I think is a big point for us.”

And while not an outright victory, the outcome moved the Current to 3-0-1 this season and kept Kansas City atop the NWSL standings.

Temwa Chawinga and Bia Zaneratto continued to cause problems for opposing NWSL defenses, linking up for the Current’s lone goal of the match in the 17th minute.

After clearing a corner kick, the Current broke forward quickly thanks to the physical play of Bia. Her pass to Chawinga was timed and weighted perfectly: The speedy forward made a 70-yard sprint on goal and tucked a shot past former KC keeper Cassie Miller.

Gotham responded five minutes into the second half when Esther headed home a completely unmarked cross at the back post.

Andonovski said the goal came from a missed assignment — a player was supposed to be in the spot where the ball landed.

“At halftime, we showed a video, and the player didn’t execute it,” Andonovski said. “At the end of the day, things like that will happen. Now we know how important it is the execution of every little detail.”

While the missed marking assignment was frustrating, the goal from a set piece continues a trend for the Current. It’s not the first time they’ve been scored upon via a set piece, or the moments of chaos that can ensue afterward.

While Franch doesn’t like it when any ball hits the back of the net, she understands its going to happen. She said she hopes the team can learn and grow from it.

“We will go back and we’ll continue to analyze, and we’ll continue to get better at these set pieces,” Franch said. “Because right now, it’s not good enough and we need to get to a place where it is.”

One of the biggest moments of the game came a few minutes before Gotham’s goal. Franch made an incredible diving save on a shot by Crystal Dunn. Then a cross came back in and a Gotham forward headed the ball off the bar and down.

But Franch was able to scoop up the ball before it had fully crossed the line.

The Current return home next weekend, welcoming new expansion team Bay FC. That match, on Saturday, kicks off at 6 p.m. Central Time at CPKC Stadium.

This story was originally published April 14, 2024 at 7:21 PM.