KC Current play Orlando Pride to scoreless tie in highly anticipated NWSL rematch

Ardent soccer fans and casuals alike may have anticipated a fireworks show for Friday night’s National Women’s Soccer League rematch between the Kansas City Current and Orlando Pride.

With good reason: The teams’ first meeting of the 2024 NWSL season was a hotly contested 2-1 Orlando victory at CPKC Stadium.

Instead, there were no goals at all. Two of the league’s highest-scoring clubs played to a taut but scoreless draw in Orlando on Friday night.

“It’s a good point,” Current coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “But I also feel like we played good enough to score one goal and make a difference.”

The outcome further solidifies the Current’s standing among the NWSL’s top four clubs. With an eye on the looming postseason, the Current improved to 11-3-6 with 39 points accrued.

The match was all about defense. Individual matchups were key to the outcome, and for the most part, the Current players won theirs on the defensive side.

“I thought that we defended very well,” Andonovski said. “I think the best chances came from shots that were 20 yards minimum away from the goal.”

One of the key matchups was a matchup forced by Andonovski’s lineup changes. Hailie Mace, who has mainly played right-back this season, was deployed as a left-back — purposely matching her up with Orlando winger Adrianna.

“I thought Hailie was magnificent tonight,” Andonovski said.

The coach specifically praised Mace’s ability to shut down space — as scarce as it was, at times — and thus defuse Adrianna’s effect on Orlando’s attack.

Thanks in part to KC playing in a compact shape overall, the Current was able to limit Orlando’s goal-scoring chances to attempts from outside the box.

“When you force a team to shoot from 30 yards out consistently, you’re doing a pretty good job,” KC’s Lo LaBonta said.

The Current’s Temwa Chawinga couldn’t extend her record-breaking run of consecutive games with a goal in NWSL play. Her best chance of the night was the Current’s best, too: After dribbling around Orlando goalkeeper Anna Moorehouse, Chawinga couldn’t get her shot toward the frame of the goal.

Current goalkeeper Almuth Schult made multiple brilliant saves again — one on Barbra Banda’s shot from distance in the 52nd minute and two more on late shots by Pride star Marta. Schult stopped each of Orlando’s best chances.

While the Current did not score, Bia Zanerrato’s return made KC appear more dangerous than it has in some time. While Bia officially made it back to the pitch in the Current’s 1-0 win over Utah last week, her presence as a target forward was much more evident Friday evening.

Her impact was evident shortly after she entered the game as a sub. LaBonta recalled a moment when Bia held up the ball while battling five Pride players before laying off a pass to Chawinga.

“She can hold the ball up great and (the attackers) can play off each other and combine,” KC’s Vanessa DiBernardo said. “I think it adds a different dimension to our attack.”

At one point, DiBernardo played a blind pass in to Bia. LaBonta said she told Bia that’s the biggest compliment one player could give another.

“We know where you are, and we’re going to get you the ball and you’re going to do great things,” LaBonta recalled telling her teammate. “I’m glad she’s healthy. Building her minutes is going to be huge for us for this final push for the playoffs and the postseason.”

Next up for the Current is a pair of home games, beginning with the Washington Spirit on Friday, Sept. 20. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.

This story was originally published September 13, 2024 at 9:28 PM.