KC Current’s Mallory Weber retires as player, takes on new role with NWSL team

As players entered CPKC Stadium ahead of the Kansas City Current’s 2-0 victory over NJ/NY Gotham FC on Saturday, most wore the same black shirt with a teammate’s picture on it.

The player pictures on those shirts? Defender Mallory Weber, who a day earlier had announced her retirement.

The Current honored Weber before kickoff, presenting her with a framed jersey in front of an announced sellout crowd. But Current fans new to watching this team over the past two years might have never seen her play.

Weber missed a majority of the last four seasons while recovering from two ACL tears. The first injury came in 2022 on the artificial turf in Portland. Then, just minutes into her first match back from that ACL tear, she tore the ligament again in Houston the following year

In an interview with The Star, Weber said she could never get past being “90%” during her 2024 comeback from the second ACL injury. She trained into June of this year at the invitation of KC head coach Vlatko Andonovski and general manager Caitlin Carducci, attempting to see if she could get back to where she wanted to be.

Instead, she said, she realized “this isn’t going to come back.”

“I had gotten to the peak that I could with my knee,” she said.

So Weber decided to retire — step away from soccer entirely.

“Get me away,” Weber said of her mindset. “I don’t want anything to do with it.”

That would only last for a month, though. Weber began to miss the game. But she would not have to wait long to return to soccer.

She has since officially accepted an invitation to be part of the club’s KC Current II coaching staff.

KC Current II is a developmental team launched by the Current in anticipation of the National Women’s Soccer League eventually establishing a “second” league, like Major League Soccer has done (Sporting KC, for instance, has a second-team squad called Sporting KC II).

Weber played in more than 80 NWSL games since 2016. She helped the Portland Thorns win an NWSL championship in 2017 and has also played in Australia. Before coming to the NWSL, she won a national title with Penn State — a moment she called one of the best soccer experiences of her life.

Injuries might have shortened Weber’s pro career, but she has a wealth of experience to share with players who are competing in a second-team environment.

Many are at either the pre-college level, exploring the possibility of playing pro soccer before/instead of college or college products seeking a chance.

“It’s a real competitive environment,” Weber said. “I enjoy coaching them because they’re all trying to get somewhere. It’s (about) helping them achieve their next step.”

Weber has always helped coach young players, providing development and connection with local youth while earning some side income. She recalled making $7,800 during her rookie season.

“I made more money on my college scholarship than in my first two years playing professionally,” Weber said.

Of course, the NWSL has grown significantly since then. The league’s minimum salary is $48,500 in 2025, growing to $82,500 by 2030 amid the rapid growth of women’s sports in general, and soccer specifically.

Weber recalled moving to Kansas City when the Long family and Brittany Mahomes brought the Utah Royals to KC.

“There’s no way we’re gonna last here,” Weber recalled thinking about the converted baseball field at Legends Field, where the team played for its first year in town.

Then the team’s games were moved to nearby Children’s Mercy Park, home of Sporting KC. And two seasons later, the Current was training at its own facility and playing games at CPKC Stadium, which has become a focal point of growth and development in Kansas City.

What the Current has built in terms of facilities and coaching staff excites Weber as she takes the next step in her soccer career.

“As someone who wants to learn the ins and outs of coaching, there is truly no better coaching staff than Vlatko, Milan (Ivanovic), Freya (Coombe) and Lucas (Rodriguez),” Weber said. “We’re winning here, and it’s all because of how Vlatko and that staff run the team. So for me to be able to learn from them is more than I could ask for.”

Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.

This story was originally published October 15, 2025 at 1:00 PM.