With NWSL Draft kaput, KC Current signs 3 college standouts, including owners’ daughter

The Kansas City Current on Wednesday announced the signing of three college players to National Women’s Soccer League contracts — including Mary Long, the daughter of team co-owners Angie and Chris Long.

A freshman forward at Duke this past year, Mary Long also represented the United States in the U.S. U-17 World Cup. She scored three goals with one assist for the Blue Devils.

Also signed to KC Current contracts through the 2025 season on Wednesday were former North Carolina goalkeeper Clare Gagne and U.S. U-17 World Cup defender Katie Scott, who starred at Penn State.

“All three of these players have tremendous potential and have proven themselves to be incredible players,” said Current sporting director and coach Vlatko Andonovski.

“Clare, Mary and Katie will be able to step up the team’s internal competition, and we look forward to seeing how they develop and grow here in Kansas City.”

The NWSL has done away with its annual draft via collective bargaining: This the first NWSL offseason in which college players are effectively free agents.

International soccer has operated this way for decades: players are free to sign with whichever team they choose. But the NWSL is the first major pro sports league in North America to do away with its draft.

“It was a learning experience for everyone — players, coaches, colleges, agents for that matter — just because you don’t have that situation anymore, where you can have anywhere from two to four to six players, depending on (the number of) picks just default coming in,” KC general manager Caitlin Carducci told The Star.

“You’ve got to go find them, and you’ve got to sell them on your team and your vision.”

Long trained with the Current’s first team during high school at Shawnee Mission East and also spent last preseason with the Current. She enrolled early at Duke before earning a spot on the U-17 U.S. Women’s World Cup Roster.

Gagne played her fifth year of college soccer at UNC while pursuing a master’s degree. She spent the previous four years at Brown. She helped lead the Tar Heels to the NCAA championship in 2024, making 27 starts and six more in the national tournament.

Gagne was named to the All-NCAA Tournament team and earned Most Outstanding Defensive Player of the tourney, recording five shutouts.

Scott, meanwhile, starred alongside Long in the U-17 Women’s World Cup before enrolling at Penn State. After helping lead the US U-17 Women’s National Team to a third-place finish at the World Cup, she started 11 games as a true freshman for PSU, as well as four matches in the NCAA Tournament.

Carducci said Wednesday’s trio of signings represent the perfect mix of potential and experience for players their age.

“You’ve got two players who just played at the top of the world stage in their age group and another who just showed off in the NCAA Tournament positively,” Carducci said. “So they show their quality, but then they’re also young, raw and have so much potential. We know that we have a great environment to develop their talent.”

The Current now count 24 players under contract ahead of the 2025 season. Training begins later this month and the NWSL season begins in March.

Cooper, Hutton off to camp

Current forward Michelle Cooper and midfielder Claire Hutton have been selected to participate in U.S. Women’s National Team coach Emma Hayes’ “2025 USWNT Futures Camp.”

Twenty-four players have been selected for the training camp, which will take place Jan. 14-21 in Carson, California, running concurrently with the USWNT’s training camp.

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

This story was originally published January 8, 2025 at 11:29 AM.