KC Current & Kansas City featured in new NWSL documentary series on Prime Video

A bus travels south on I-29, going over the Bond Bridge and Missouri River. It’s loaded with players from the North Carolina Courage ahead of a playoff match at the Kansas City Current.

The camera cuts to longtime Courage defender Meredith Speck who opens with a wonderful line:

“Be careful what you wish for. I wished not to play Kansas City in the quarterfinals, but here we are.”

That’s how the second episode of “For The Win: NWSL” opens. The four-episode series released Thursday night on Prime Video takes a deep dive on the National Women’s Soccer League following some of the league’s brightest stars and their journeys through the 2024 NWSL playoffs, culminating in Kansas City for the NWSL final.

The Kansas City Current and the city itself are featured prominently in the series’ final three episodes. Here are three memorable moments:

Championship environment

In episode two, Kansas City is prominently featured, including a sit-down interview with Current co-owners Angie Long and Brittany Mahomes.

The two discussed the importance of investing in things they believe in and in what lines up with their values, with Mahomes saying both families love women’s sports.

Long discussed setting a higher bar than what was previously there with women’s sports, and the two spoke about the investment in the stadium and training facility.

“We felt like if you wanted to bring a championship to Kansas City, we needed to bring a championship-level environment,” Mahomes said.

Angie Long noted things like a dedicated stadium and training facility are not new concepts in sports.

“Sadly, it’s only new for women’s sports,” Long said.

Long said she hopes everyone who enters CPKC Stadium feels the environment.

“We want everyone to walk in here and feel like it’s a best in class environment, even for the visiting team,” Long said.

“I hate Kansas City…”

Meredith Speck’s bus-ride monologue that opens the second episode doesn’t end with her talking about her wish to avoid KC.

In fact, it’s one of the first scenes when you get a glimpse into some of the juicier moments of drama and tension that build over a season between teams.

The Current and Courage had already played each other three times before that battle in the quarterfinals. The home team came out on top each time, with the Current notching 1-0 and 2-0 wins at home, while the Courage clawed back to win 2-1 in a rain-delayed match.

Each match was close and a hard-fought battle. But the home team — as the Current would be in the quarterfinal match — had the edge. Speck continued her monologue, saying, “I hate Kansas City because ... a lot of reasons.”

“Partially I’m jealous, right?” Speck said. “I think they have a great atmosphere, their stadium is incredible. Power to them, the first stadium for women’s soccer. But I would much rather not have to go to Kansas City.

“The city has really embraced them and it’s great for women’s soccer. But I’m also like, ‘You guys are loud, you guys are obnoxious.’ And I would just love to silence a crowd and honestly the city.”

Of course, the Current came out on top. While trying admirably, Speck couldn’t keep Temwa Chawinga from scoring from point blank. The 1-0 KC victory eliminated the Courage.

“I’m not gonna let Kansas City see me cry,” Speck closed with.

Emerging rivalry

Orlando and Kansas City were two of the most talked-about teams throughout the majority of the NWSL season. The third episode features the semifinal matchup and focuses heavily on the Current and the Pride.

The two teams were locked into a battle for the season’s first half until their head-to-head matchup on a steamy July evening. The Current hadn’t lost yet. Neither had Orlando.

Both had epic winning streaks running until the matchup. Both teams were tied on points, and Chawinga and Barbra Banda were tied atop the golden boot charts.

Highlighting the buildup to their semifinal matchup, the documentary called back to how the end of the regular-season match set the stage for a burgeoning rivalry between KC and Orlando.

Marta’s “panenka” penalty kick — a chipped shot down the middle — was the winning goal. Afterward, Marta and the Pride celebrated heavily on the Current’s home field, much to the chagrin of fans and Current players.

Overland Park native and Orlando Pride midfielder Haley McCutcheon was interviewed to recall that game.

“Marta scores a banger of a PK and we celebrate so hard after the game because that was the biggest game of the year up to that point,” McCutcheon said. “KC didn’t like that very much. It was just ironic because Kansas loves to celebrate, and we celebrate the biggest game of the year. I guess we’re the bad guys now.”

The rest of the episode shows the Current’s valiant efforts despite the loss in the NWSL semifinals against Orlando.

The fourth and final episode features the NWSL championship game in Kansas City, with vibrant shots of Union Station during media day, downtown Kansas City, CPKC Stadium and Hotel Phillips, just to name a few.

The four-part documentary series “For The Win: NWSL” is streaming on Prime Video.

2025 NWSL season ahead

The first NWSL action of 2025 is a rematch of the NWSL championship game between the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit in the Challenge Cup, set for Friday, March 7.

The NWSL regular season and the Kansas City Current kick off next weekend. The Current hosts the Portland Thorns on Saturday, March 15, in a match slated for kickoff at 11:45 a.m. Central.

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