How the KC Current responded to a difficult week of injury news vs. Chicago
The Kansas City Current may have been without Alana Cook and Debinha, but it wasn’t too much of a problem Saturday. Bia Zaneratto and Temwa Chawinga scored first-half goals to pace the Current to a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Stars.
The Current (8-2-0) remains in first place and will, at worst, be four points clear of the San Diego Wave in second, depending on San Diego’s result this weekend.
Heading into the international break, coach Vlatko Andonovski said the win makes everything feel better.
“Usually, our motto is after the game — when we win it — we enjoy it, we recover the day after and we start preparing on the second day,” Andonovski said. “I think we’re going to enjoy it a couple more days and then recover for a couple more days, and then start preparing after that.”
Zaneratto has taken some time to fully look like herself after missing nearly all of the second half of the 2024 season with a foot injury. On Saturday she was in prime form.
The Current hit the post twice in the first half before getting on the board in the 34th minute. Zaneratto picked up the ball in the penalty area and shimmied onto her preferred left foot. Her shot looked covered by Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher, but the ball deflected the opposite direction of Naeher’s dive and found the net.
Seven minutes later, Zaneratto combined with Chawinga for the perfect dinked chip pass to split the defenders and send Chawinga in on goal. Chawinga dispatched her shot easily to make it 2-0 for her sixth goal of the 2025 season.
Zaneratto possesses a crafty playmaking ability that becomes especially useful when she drops between the defensive and midfield lines. Add it to her ability to lead the line as a striker, and her full form was on display.
“Bia is a world class player,” Andonovski said. “She understands the game, recognizes space and unbalances the defense very well. ... Whatever the game gives us or gives her, she recognizes it in a split second and takes full advantage of it.”
Liberty native Shea Groom got one back for hosts. She drew a foul to earn a free kick, then got the header on the free kick to get the ball past Current goalkeeper Lorena and make it 2-1.
But the Current quickly restored order and a two-goal lead thanks to Kayla Sharples. KC evened out the set-piece goal tally as Izzy Rodriguez’s service into the box from out wide was headed home by Sharples.
Saturday’s win marked the Current’s third win in a row — notably following back-to-back losses. Hailie Mace, who picked up her third assist of the season in the match, said the team’s focus on taking things one game at a time helped spark the turnaround.
“We don’t really think about consecutive wins and losses,” Mace said. “We kind of just focus on the next game ahead of us. Not getting too hung up on the losses or too high from the wins is key for us.”
Up next: The Kansas City Current will be off next weekend with international play underway. KC returns to NWSL action June 7, with a noon matchup on the road against Gotham FC.
Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.
This story was originally published May 24, 2025 at 8:57 PM.