KC Current’s Andonovski advises patience, but NWSL expectations are high for 2024

March 16 has been circled for months on the Kansas City Current’s calendar: Arriving Saturday, it’s the team’s first National Women’s Soccer League match inside new CPKC Stadium.

They’re not alone in circling the date.

On Saturday, eyes in KC and across the global women’s soccer community will be watching what happens as the Current play host to the Portland Thorns inside a shiny white-and-teal venue seating a little more than 11,000 alongside the Missouri River.

“You know, for us, it’s a season opener,” KC Current veteran Lo LaBonta said. “For everybody else in the world, right now, it’s the stadium opener.”

And as momentous as that occasion is, it’s just the beginning. There are at least 25 more matches to be played — including 12 more at CPKC Stadium — under new head coach Vlatko Andonovski, who arrives following a stint with the U.S. Women’s National Team.

“It’s so wild to me that with everything we’re doing here — getting Vlatko here, getting all these new players — there was so much change, and the common denominator is the opening of the stadium,” LaBonta said.

“Everybody is focusing on that. Whereas anybody here, right now at this training facility, it’s completely the opposite. We’re focused on Portland. We’re focused on winning that first game.”

This year, the stadium, roster and coaching staff are different. But one thing has not changed: expectation. The Current set out to be the best from the moment Chris and Angie Long brought a team back to Kansas City.

Bottom line, period.

“I think everybody here, the only expectation is to win,” LaBonta said “And that’s what I love. Everybody in this group has bought in so far, and we want to win it all.”

Newcomer Andonovski agreed, but cautioned that may not happen overnight.

“I think that we’re going to have a good team,” he said. “It’s going to take a little bit of time.

“I’m not crazy to say we’re gonna go out and kill it and destroy everyone. That’s the plan. We want to do that. We want to be the best we can be from day one.”

It could take some time for all of the Current’s new and holdover talent to get acquainted, or re-acquainted. Multiple players have been (or still are) playing internationally for their respective home nations.

Debinha, Lauren and Bia were all with Brazil during the CONCACAF W Gold Cup until this past Sunday. You might be able to count the number of training sessions Bia had with the Current on two hands.

Stine Ballisager (Denmark) and Sophie Braun (Argentina) were also with their respective national teams.

“Every time we miss someone, or they’re not in the environment, it just prolongs everything we’re doing,” Andonovski said. “It’s going to take a little bit of time. We’re patient with the players (and) the team. But we’re aggressive in everything that we’re doing.”

Players seem to have bought in, mentioning how effectively this coaching staff communicates its expectations. LaBonta is among those who believe this team has the mental makeup to compete at the highest level.

“I tell everybody here they’re crazy,” LaBonta said, with a laugh, of her teammates.

She gave the following example: During a recent fitness test, players collectively lost track of how much running they had done and ended up going well beyond what was required.

“Usually, you count what you’re doing, and the team, without even questioning, just went and ran more and ran more,” LaBonta said. “That mentality right there is something I’ve honestly never really had on a team.

“Like when we went to the (league) final (in 2022), we just ground it out. Here, I think we have the mentality and the talent. And that’s why I think we can truly win it all.”