KC Current has a 17-game unbeaten streak. Is their new stadium part of the reason?

By Brad Ziegler

The first half of the KC Current season has been a record setter in more ways than one.  The NWSL team has not lost this season, with ten wins, five draws and no losses, and has not been beaten in 17 consecutive matches dating back to the end of last season.  The unbeaten streak eclipsed the previous league record set by the Seattle Reign in 2022.

The Current has also set attendance records with sellouts for each of their eight home matches this season.  A big part of the team’s popularity at home this season, in addition to their success on the pitch, is their new stadium, CPKC Stadium, the first purpose-built stadium for professional women’s sports in the world.  The new stadium is located on the banks of the Missouri River at Berkley Riverfront Park and is the centerpiece of an even larger commercial, entertainment and residential development planned for the area.  

Vlatko Andonovski was hired as the team’s new sporting director and head coach in January and he and his staff have been given much of the credit for the team’s hot start and improved play.  The former US Women’s National Team head coach, Andonovski was tasked with turning around the team after they finished next to last in the league standings in 2023, with eight wins, two draws and 12 losses, and failed to live up to expectations that had been created when they reached the championship match the year before.  The roster also went through a significant change during the off season, with the addition of a mix of new veterans and young players comprising nearly a third of this year’s team.

The Current leads the league in goals this season by a wide margin over the second highest scoring team, the Washington Spirit, last season’s league champions. Their 39-20 goal differential for the season also leads the league.  The team’s league leading scoring attack is led by Temwa Chawinga, a 25-year-old forward from Malawi who was one of the team’s offseason roster additions, Bia Zaneratto, a veteran forward who is also in her first season with the Current, and Vanessa DiBernardo, a veteran midfielder in her second season with the team.  The three Current stars rank in the top six in the league in goals + assists. 

The team also ranks at the top of the league in fewest penalties and their goaltender, veteran Adrianna Franche, who has been with the team since their first season in 2021, ranks in the top five in the league in saves.

Despite their record start, the Current is tied with the Orlando Pride, who also stands at 10-0-5 this season, and are just four points ahead of Washington at 10-4-1.  

The Current hosts the Pride at CPKC Stadium on July 6 in front of what will be another sellout crowd, as they hope to keep their streak going and maintain their spot atop the 14-team league.