KC Current suffered costly injuries in win vs. Orlando Pride. Here’s the update
While the KC Current finally earned a win over the Orlando Pride, the club paid a heavy price in the process.
Alana Cook, Debinha and Temwa Chawinga were injured in that match. On Tuesday, head coach Vlatko Andonovski provided the latest updates — and they weren’t promising.
Andonovski first said Cook would be out “long term.” The club later announced Thursday afternoon that Cook tore her ACL, MCL and meniscus. She is being placed on the season-ending injury list.
“Alana has made a big impact for our club on and off the pitch in a short period of time, and our hearts absolutely break for her,” Andonovski said in a news release. “Throughout her career, Alana has proven to be determined, resilient and disciplined with an optimistic spirit. We are confident she will carry those same attributes into her recovery process. The team will stand by her every step of the way, and we eagerly await the day she is able to join us on the pitch again.”
In addition, Debinha will be out until after the summer. She sustained an injury in a late, two-legged challenge from Emily Sams.
Chawinga, who hasn’t been 100% all season, also sustained a crunching tackle outside the box and then had the ball blasted off her head after the whistle was blown. Chawinga hobbled off the field and was substituted.
Her availability for the weekend is still undetermined, but with an international play break coming next week, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Current be overly cautious with her. Chawinga, of course, was the league’s MVP last season.
The tackle Debinha was involved in perhaps brought the most controversy. Sams protested that she got the ball after the referee had called a foul, but Sams got to the ball by going through Debinha.
Her late slide trapped Debinha’s plant leg. Sams’ knee made contact above Debinha’s ankle, but no card was shown.
In fact, in one of the most physical games of the season, only 17 total fouls were called. No cautions were handed out.
Andonovski was asked by reporters Tuesday if he felt the game was overly physical.
“You watch the game, you can see it for yourself,” Andonovski said. “The game itself was physical. But I think there was a way to control it.”
How the Current can manage the absences
There is some positive news on the injury front, which is probably how the Current will solve the long-term issues.
Michelle Cooper is expected to return to the front line this weekend either off the bench or as a starter. She was recently called into the U.S. Women’s National Team, on the condition that she gets minutes with the Current ahead of attending camp.
Also, regarding the back line, Gabrielle Robinson should be nearing a return from her torn ACL last season. Robinson has been participating in training for a few weeks now and may soon be available to come off the season-ending injury list.
KC also has depth in the midfield to turn to in veteran Vanessa DiBernardo, who can fill in adequately for Debinha until she returns.
Most rosters aren’t built to survive injury pileups, but the Current roster should be able to weather the storm. The team’s next match is Saturday on the road against the Chicago Stars, kicking off at 6:30 p.m. on iON.
Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.
This story was originally published May 22, 2025 at 1:00 PM.