KC Current adds 1 more forward ahead of Saturday NWSL season opener vs. Portland Thorns
With a few days remaining until the National Women’s Soccer League season opener, the Kansas City Current on Wednesday acquired forward Flora Marta Lacho.
Lacho, 25, will be under contract in KC through the 2026 season. She will be the first Angolan international to play in the NWSL.
“We are very excited to bring Flora Marta to Kansas City,” Current general manager Caitlin Carducci said in a team news release, “as her success last season at the club level in Africa was impressive to follow.“
Lacho most recently played with TP Mazembe, a club team in the Democratic Republic of Congo. During Mazembe’s run to the women’s CAF (Africa Confederation) Champions League title, she earned woman-of-the-match honors in three of five games.
She was also selected to the CAF Women’s Champions League Best XI.
“We look forward to seeing how she can make an impact on the pitch and add competition to our roster in 2025,” Carducci said.
The Current plays host to the Portland Thorns to open the season for a third straight time. The match, broadcast on ABC, is scheduled to begin at 11:45 a.m. Saturday.
Bia starts season on SEI
Three Current players will start the 2025 season on the Season Ending Injury list due to injuries sustained in 2024: Bia Zaneratto, Alex Pfeiffer and Gabrielle Robinson.
Zaneratto should return quickly, as she took part in full-squad action during the preseason. The club says it “expects her to be cleared and ready to play soon.”
Robinson and Pfeiffer tore ACLS last season and are expected to return later in the year.
No longer on the roster: Mallory Weber, who is returning from ACL injuries but “will continue to be a part of the Kansas City training atmosphere, as well as becoming more involved in the youth development program,” per the club.
KC Current roster for 2025 NWSL opener
Here is the Current’s final NWSL roster:
Goalkeepers: Lorena (INT), Laurel Ivory, Clare Gagne.
Defenders: Elizabeth Ball, Alana Cook, Kayla Sharples, Hailie Mace, Gabrielle Robinson (SEI), Izzy Rodriguez, Regan Steigleder, Ellie Wheeler, Katie Scott (U18).
Midfielders: Debinha, Vanessa DiBernardo, Bayley Feist, Claire Hutton, Lo’eau LaBonta, Jereko (INT), Rocky Rodriguez.
Forwards: Temwa Chawinga (INT), Michelle Cooper, Alex Pfeiffer (U-18 - SEI), Nichelle Prince, Bia Zaneratto (SEI - INT), Mary Longm Kristen Hamilton, Haley Hopkins, Flora Marta Lacho (INT).
Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.
This story was originally published March 12, 2025 at 10:48 AM.