4 KC Current players stood out during U.S. national team competition. Here’s how

Four Kansas City Current players competed with the U.S. Women’s National Team over the past week.

And the youngest of the KC quartet made a very loud statement.

When Trinity Rodman was substituted off the field in the 63rd minute of the USWNT’s 6-0 win over Paraguay, she removed the captain’s armband and promptly handed it to 20-year-old Claire Hutton.

After the match, USWNT coach Emma Hayes called Hutton “a future captain in the making.”

“What a great learning moment for her,” Hayes said. “With all of her peers coming onto the pitch ... I’d imagine that must feel (important) for her that Claire is getting the armband at a tender age. But if you’ve worked with her, you know she is mature beyond her years and handles herself as an experienced pro.”

Hutton received the captain’s armband again when she subbed into Tuesday night’s 5-0 win over Chile (alongside Rodman, by the way).

All four KC Current players on the national team’s roster — Hutton, Ally Sentnor, Lo LaBonta and Izzy Rodriguez — started for the U.S. squad. And Sentnor and Rodriguez combined for a memorable moment against Paraguay.

Just two minutes into the second half, Rodriguez picked up the ball in the final third and dished a pass into the box — like she’s done many times before.

This time, though, she cut inside to her right, then saw a gap in Paraguay’s back-line. She passed off the ball and it found her Kansas City teammate, Sentnor, who ripped a shot past the goalkeeper to double the Americans’ lead. That was a big moment, and not just because it broke open the game open and led to a 6-0 victory. It also offered a glimpse of what might become a regular occurrence at CPKC Stadium when the 2026 National Women’s Soccer League’s season begins in March.

The goal was Sentnor’s first in any game, for club or country, since being acquired by the Current in a trade last July. She followed with a second goal 10 minutes later, thanks to an expert pass from Giselle Thompson.

Sentnor at striker?

With a new head coach in charge of the Current, it’s possible that Sentnor’s success on the USWNT’s forward line means KC fans will see her patrol a different part of the field this year.

Her acquisition was mainly intended to help cover the absence of attack-minded Vanessa DiBernardo during her maternity leave. But Sentnor looked out of place and out of sync at times, playing deeper in the midfield.

Sentnor started out as more of a midfielder in the USWNT lineup. Her scoring outburst came when a halftime substitution pushed her into the striker’s position as midfielder Croix Bethune entered the match. Sentnor scored two goals within 10 minutes of that move. With Bia Zaneratto and Nichelle Prince gone and Mary Long’s season-ending offseason ACL injury, the Current might have found a solution at striker.

The Current’s preseason work is ongoing. The team will travel to California later this week to continue preparations. KC’s NWSL season opener is set for March 16 at CPKC Stadium.

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

This story was originally published January 28, 2026 at 1:38 PM.