How the Kansas City Current rallied for important comeback home win vs. Gotham FC

Temwa Chawinga’s return brought a spark to the struggling Kansas City Current, a team that desperately needed one. Some home cooking helped, too.

In 40 minutes against Gotham FC on a sunny but brisk Saturday afternoon at CPKC Stadium, Chawinga — the two-time reigning MVP of the National Women’s Soccer League — saw just 10 touches. Yet she created two goal-scoring opportunities, including an assist, and that was welcome stuff for a KC side that came in on a three-game losing streak.

The Current seemed to carry Chawinga’s energy into the second half, defending home turf with a 2-1 win over the reigning NWSL champion. It was Chawinga’s first game-action since suffering a season-ending injury during a match in Houston last fall.

“It is great to have her back, great debut of the season for her,” KC head coach Chris Armas said. “It’s a positive step for her and means a lot to us.”

The Current (2-3-0) had to mount a comeback after falling behind for the fifth straight game. Gotham’s Jaedyn Shaw took a deep shot and snuck the ball into the far corner of the goal, seemingly catching KC keeper Lorena by surprise. The pace of the shot, recorded in the 29th minute of the match, seemed savable.

“It’s never the intention to concede first,” Armas said. “It’s really difficult when you go down, emotionally.”

But no matter, because that’s when the Current — and Chawinga — took over. The 27-year-old was electric, contributing heavily on both ends of the field. She was unlucky to be called for a foul running clean in on goal — the referee mistook Kayla Duran’s knee injury for a foul and blew the play dead.

Duran would exit the game, and Chawinga eventually got onto the scoresheet anyway. She likely mis-hit teammate Michelle Cooper’s cross, but it turned into a perfect pass for Debinha. The Brazilian put away a goal with ease, leveling the match in the 37th minute.

Usually, when a player is on a minutes restriction (following injury — as was the case with Chawinga), a team will keep that player on the pitch through halftime, so as not to waste one of its three allotted substitution windows per match. But Armas removed Chawinga at the 40-minute mark.

Later, the coach cited her workload. He didn’t want to push her past the parameters they had set. And the Current’s pace was relentless after halftime, pinning back Gotham and creating multiple turnovers.

“We want to come out stronger in the second half,” Cooper said. “We have a great atmosphere. We have great fans, and we know we’re a good team. But the importance of starting the second half faster than we did the first is the biggest game changer for us.”

Cooper soon gave the host team the lead. Gotham’s Emily Sonnet tried to delay a restart by KC’s Izzy Rodriguez, leaving the visitors’ back-line out of position. That created a gap for Cooper on the right side of the field. Rodriguez’s long free kick made its way to Ally Sentnor, who dished to Cooper.

Cooper dribbled toward the goal and unleashed a low, driven shot into the far corner. It was her first goal since returning from injury.

“It’s definitely a bit of relief,” Cooper said. “It is hard to come back from injury … finding my footing again was really the big thing for me. And to finally get the goal, but also the winning goal for us to get three points, was huge.”

After a rough road trip that included three losses in about a week, Saturday’s victory should boost the Current’s mood ahead of next week’s Teal Rising Cup.

Up next: While some Current players will be departing for international duty, the club plays host to its Teal Rising Cup in the coming week. The Current welcomes Corinthians and Palmeiras of Brazil, as well as Club América from Mexico, for two days of soccer action. It begins at 5 p.m. Thursday at CPKC Stadium.

This story was originally published April 4, 2026 at 5:03 PM.