How much-anticipated KC Current-Orlando matchup turned into a day of frustration

After more than three hours of a heat-related weather delay, the highly anticipated matchup between the KC Current and Orlando Pride finally took place.

The game severely lacked the edge that the previous matchup between the two teams had. The teams played to a 0-0 draw in front of a crowd that appeared to be at half capacity, with stronger numbers in the venue before the initial start time was pushed back.

The story of the day will largely be that weather delay and the seemingly avoidable circumstances around it.

“To some degree, we knew that this was a possibility,” Current coach Vlatko Andonovski said. “We did everything possible to stay focused and ready throughout the whole day.

“There was nothing we could do; we couldn’t change the weather, so we just focused on the things that we can control.”

Scheduling a match at 3 p.m. in the August heat in Kansas City predictably came with temperatures over 90 degrees. There were months of opportunity for logic to take over and the match time to be changed — especially in the 48 hours prior to kickoff after the National Weather Service issued an extreme heat advisory for the area.

Instead, attempts to play the game within the national TV window on CBS fell short. The Current’s performance similarly fell flat; Saturday marked the first time KC was held goalless at CPKC Stadium.

The disruption in routine may have played a role. (Andonovski did note that, ultimately, all decisions during the day were made in the best interest of player safety.)

“That’s the number one priority, no matter what the game is, how important the game is, who the opponent is,” he said. “The safety of the players comes first.”

Heat disruption led to disjointed match

On Saturday, the players warmed up twice in the span of an hour, only to be sidelined for nearly two more hours.

At one point, the videoboard showed the Current players on the sideline dancing to music while waiting to be given the go-ahead to warm up. Instead, they were turned back to the locker room.

“There were ebbs and flows when we started with the 15-minute intervals of just staying ready at that point,” Current defender Izzy Rodriguez said.

“Obviously, breaks like that can always break the rhythm of a team,” defender Ellie Wheeler added. “But I think we do a really good job of staying united, staying together, trying to stay off our phones as much (as possible).”

Even so, the delay dampened the energy of the game, both from a crowd and on-field perspective.

The play was slow. The teams weren’t quite as sharp. And the energy at CPKC Stadium wasn’t enough to make up for it.

“The match was a little more methodical, a little more of a chess match,” Andonovski said. “It was a little bit slower, but not just because it was delayed.

“It was hot. Players could not sustain running at a certain intensity or maintain a certain intensity for a longer period of time. So I’m not surprised at all that the flow of the game was the way it was.”

The best chance of the game came in the second half when Temwa Chawinga took on three Orlando Pride players en route to the goal. She laid the ball off to Bia Zaneratto, who missed high from close range.

The Current, still in first in the league by a healthy margin, settled for a draw.

Up next: KC hits the road to face the Portland Thorns next Saturday, Aug. 23. Kickoff from Portland is set for 9 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 16, 2025 at 8:55 PM.