Kansas City Current defeats Orlando Pride in battle of NWSL’s best

The Kansas City Current vs. Orlando Pride matchup Friday night was labeled appointment TV, and it delivered.

While it won’t fully erase Kansas City’s pain of losing in Orlando in the NWSL playoffs last season, the Current got some revenge.

Temwa Chawinga’s second-half goal gave the Current a 1-0 lead, which it clung to throughout the rest of the second half, including 12 minutes of stoppage time.

Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski said afterward that winning in Orlando took more than just playing a good game.

“You have to have heart,” Andonovski said. “If you don’t come with heart, you have no chance. And today, I think we showed heart.”

With the win, KC holds a five-point cushion over Orlando in the NWSL standings. KC (7-2-0) is also four points clear of second-place San Diego.

Andonovski and his staff brought a few tactical wrinkles for Friday’s match. “I’m very proud of the players that had to execute roles that were a little bit complex,” Andonovski said.

Defender Kayla Sharples, who had a standout performance defensively, likened it to a chess match.

“We’ve seen each other play,” Sharples said. “We’ve played a lot against each other. We’ve tried it in different ways. I think you saw it from both teams, too.”

KC changed its formation from the traditional 4-3-3 (which can resemble a 4-2-4 at times) to a 5-4-1. In possession, the wingbacks pushed high up the field, making it more of a back three in a 3-5-2 formation.

Hailie Mace tucked inside on the back line and played more as a third center-back, while Ellie Wheeler played as the right wingback, with Izzy Rodriguez wide left of Sharples and Cook to complete the back five.

“Deb (Debinha) was playing as the 10, but then defending on the side. That was something she hasn’t done before, and I thought she was very good in that as well,” Andonovski said.

The Current held Orlando to just two shots on target in the second half. Neither was particularly challenging to deal with.

“There were so many little things that needed to happen in order to stop Orlando’s attack, and I thought we did a very good job,” Andonovski said.

Chawinga’s goal came in the 52nd minute. Kylie Strom’s misplay on a long ball over the top went straight into the pressing run of Chawinga, who, with one touch, dispatched a volley past Orlando’s star goalkeeper, Anna Moorhouse.

The goal was Chawinga’s fifth of the season and her 25th NWSL regular season goal. She became the fastest player in NWSL history to reach that tally, doing so in 34 games.

Things got difficult after the goal. Debinha and Alana Cook left the game, hobbling off the pitch minutes apart.

Cook planted in an attempt to stabilize herself but went down clutching her knee. Minutes later, Emily Sams put in a crunching tackle that won the ball by going through Debinha’s plant leg. While a foul was called, no card was given. Debinha hobbled off, holding her ankle.

And, of course, to make matters worse, Chawinga came up holding her left leg in the dying minutes of the game. She was subbed off.

Andonovski did not have any injury updates on the trio after the match, except that Chawinga came out for the same injury she has been plagued with all year. While Andonovski hasn’t disclosed the injury, Chawinga has been listed on the team’s injury report with a hip injury as recently as the team’s 4-1 win over Bay FC.

Grinding out the win

Defending set pieces has been a problem for the Current in recent weeks. Four of the five goals the team conceded in its last three games were off secondary actions on set pieces.

After going up 1-0, the Current had to defend at least five corners and various other set pieces, including three consecutive corner kicks deep into the 12 minutes of second-half stoppage time. The Current held firm.

Rodriguez said it came down to the team’s mentality.

“It’s the mentality of just winning your individual battles, covering your zones, whatever it may be,” Rodriguez said. “I think it was really just being switched on and taking control of the area you’re supposed to.”

Up next: The Current heads north to the Windy City to face the Chicago Stars on Saturday, May 24. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m.

This story was originally published May 16, 2025 at 9:33 PM.