Kansas City Current, who were crushing it just last season as NWSL Shield winners, are now staring down the barrel of a postseason miss. Right now, they’re clinging to the final playoff spot, eighth place with 38 points, and if they drop Saturday’s game to the Denver Summit, that spot could be gone, just like that.
From Shield Winners to Playoff Bubble
Man, talk about a fall from grace. It wasn’t even a year ago, last November, that Katie Lampson’s 121st minute goal for Gotham FC knocked them out of the playoffs. But even then, it felt like a speed bump. They had just won the NWSL Shield with five games to spare, set a record for points, and lost to the eventual NWSL Champions. Everyone thought they were basically a title-winning team ready to compete again, right? Fast forward to today, and with only five regular season games left, they’re barely hanging on. The Denver Summit, sitting at 35 points, can leapfrog them with a win thanks to a superior goal differential. And don’t forget the Seattle Reign, who are breathing down everyone’s necks with 37 points and facing the Boston Legacy bottom-dwellers on Friday. The Current need a W, plain and simple.
Star Power Isn’t Saving Them
So, what’s going on? You’d think with a roster boasting two-time NWSL MVP Temwa Chawinga and U.S. women’s national team forward Michelle Cooper, they’d be cruising. But Chris Armas’ team has been anything but predictable. The Current have relied *hard* on their star trio of Chawinga, Cooper, and Croix Bethune. Here’s the kicker: that trio has only played together ten times all season! It’s like they’re a completely different squad when even one of those players is out. They’ve only bagged 21 goals from 24.71 expected goals, which tells you they’re not quite finishing when it counts, or maybe they just haven’t had their full firepower on the pitch consistently. Injuries have clearly hammered their progress, but you gotta ask yourself, is this just bad luck, or have the Current created their own mess?
This Saturday, September 26th, at 12:30 p.m. ET, it all comes to a head at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. You can catch it on CBS or stream it on Paramount+. The Current are favored at -105, a draw is +290, and the Summit are +210. This isn’t just another game for Kansas City; it’s a make-or-break moment for their postseason dreams. A win is their most straightforward path, but with their season’s pendulum swings, nothing is guaranteed. They need to find that winning formula, and fast.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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