Temwa Chawinga leads another KC Current win — while reaching career milestone
It looked like the KC Current would get shut out for just the second time in the 2025 season, then the inevitable happened: Temwa Chawinga scored.
It took 81 minutes, but Chawinga’s goal was enough as the Current earned a hard-fought road win against the last-place Utah Royals.
“We expect her to come through in those moments,” coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “That’s what makes her special. That’s why she’s one of the best in the world.”
The 1-0 win was the eighth in a row for the Current, whose record moves to 13-2-0 with a point total of 39. At the moment, KC is 13 points ahead of second place Orlando, who visits Kansas City next weekend.
All the talk leading into Friday night’s worst-versus-first matchup in Utah was about the potential debut of Ally Sentnor against her former team just a week after being traded.
Indeed, it was a quiet first half, setting the stage for Sentnor’s debut as a substitute at halftime. She partnered well with her teammates and got off a few shots from distance.
For a good stretch of the second half, Utah threatened the Kansas City back line.
But late in the game, Chawinga showed why she was announced as a nominee for the women’s Ballon d’Or trophy earlier this week.
Kayla Sharples dinked a long ball over the top, and Chawinga got the inside edge against a Utah defender. The movement of Nichelle Prince dragged one more defender out of the way, clearing a lane for Chawinga to get to the ball.
As it bounced, Chawinga deftly chipped it over Royals goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn and into the net.
“I saw Temwa and (Prince) both making a run. I saw (Prince) holding up a defender,” Sharples said. “While the ball is in the air, Temwa can gain 10 yards. So it worked out for us”
The goal was exactly what the team needed to get the result, even when it looked like it might not come. Andonovski spoke postgame about the expectation Chawinga would come up big in that moment. Chawinga echoed that sentiment.
“I don’t feel any pressure because it’s my duty to score the goals,” Chawinga said, before adding in good fun at Sharples: “And the defenders’ (job) to give us the ball to score the goals.”
It was Chawinga’s 30th career goal in just 40 NWSL games, making her the fastest to reach the 30 goal mark in NWSL history. Christen Press hit that mark in 51 games prior to Chawinga’s record.
Chawinga now has 10 goals this season, tying her atop the goal-scoring charts with Esther Gonzalez. Both were nominated for the Ballon d’Or, in fact.
Chawinga said the nomination and recognition means a lot to her.
“It means a lot to me because I’m happy to be included in that position,” Chawinga said. “It’s not a joke. So I’m very happy.”
Up next: The Current hosts the Orlando Pride in what will be a first vs. second matchup at CPKC Stadium next Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. Central.
Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.
This story was originally published August 8, 2025 at 11:25 PM.