KC Current reaches 3-year contract extension with NWSL MVP, Golden Boot winner
On Tuesday, the Kansas City Current announced two pieces of player news, celebrating the re-signing of Kristen Hamilton and Elizabeth Ball to contract extensions.
The next day, it was the National Women’s Soccer League MVP’s turn.
The Current announced the re-signing of star striker Temwa Chawinga to a three-year extension on Wednesday. The new deal between the club and the 2024 NWSL Golden Boot winner — and league record-holder for most goals in a season — runs through the 2028 season.
“This year, we hope to bring the trophy home for the fans, for KC,” Chawinga said in a KC Current news release. “My team has been good to me and they treated me well last season.
“My teammates are kind, my coach is amazing and my KC community has been incredible. All the support, it feels like home here, that’s why I decided to extend my contract with the KC Current.”
Chawinga came to the Current as a relative unknown commodity in the NWSL a year ago. That changed quickly when she started scoring and never stopped.
The 26-year-old from Malawi became the first player in league history to score 20 goals in a season. She scored in eight consecutive regular-season matches and tallied at least one goal against every other team in the league during KC’s 2024 campaign.
“Temwa brings so much to the team both offensively and defensively,” Current general manager Caitlin Carducci said in the team’s news release. “She is an incredible player, an incredible person and a cornerstone of this organization.”
Another fun note: Chawinga this past season became the first player to score a “river goal” at newly built CPKC Stadium — the term applies to a ball kicked a ball out of the north end of the stadium and into the Missouri River.
Her mix of tenacity and joy endears her to coaches, teammates and fans. She receives love and ovations whenever her name is announced at CPKC Stadium, and Carducci and company worked quickly to keep her in the fold this season and beyond.
“Securing Temwa’s long-term future in Kansas City was a significant priority this offseason,” the club’s GM said. “She had an amazing debut season, but both Temwa and our club feel that we are just getting started in reaching our potential together. We’re excited to see her wearing the Current crest for years to come.”
The Chawinga news comes a day after the Current announced that Hamilton is re-signed through the 2025 season with a one-year mutual option for 2026 and Ball is re-signed through the 2026 season with a one-year mutual option for 2027.
The team is currently in Irvine, California, for preseason training.
Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.
This story was originally published January 29, 2025 at 10:42 AM.