The Kansas City Current packed a lot of action into a late-season match with no direct playoff implications. From the Blackhawk flyover before to the emotional Desi Scott farewell after, there was a lot to take in from the Current’s last regular-season home match.
Let’s start with the game itself. The Current was on the front foot from the jump, forcing a sliding save from San Diego keeper Kailen Sheridan in the second minute.
Cooper and Chawinga kept pressure on the Wave defense with quick runs up the side fed by Kansas City’s midfield. Michelle Cooper replayed the rebound of a Temwa Chawinga shot to put KC ahead in the 22nd minute.
Cooper thought she had a brace when her looping 31st-minute shot from near the endline crossed the plane. She got the celebration, but officials later ruled that it was Sheridan’s tip-save attempt that had put the ball in the net. Ellie Wheeler started the quickly unfolding sequence passing long from Kansas City’s end to Izzy Rodriguez who played diagonally to Cooper deep on the right side.
Chawinga didn’t wait long to extend the 2-0 halftime advantage. Her goal in the 53rd minute was called back for offsides, but in the 54th minute, she buried her own rebound to make it 3-0. A lengthy video-assisted review followed, muting the team celebration, but the goal was eventually allowed.
A flurry of late substitutions brought on Debinha for Chawinga, and the Brazilian picked up the scoring duties without a gap, breaking up the left side and taking an assist from Nichelle Prince to take a 4-0 lead.
As the game wound down, Wave forward Delphine Carrasco clawed one back for the visitors, blasting a long-range shot into the upper left corner, out of the range of a leaping save attempt from Almuth Schult.
After the match, there were few dry eyes on the pitch or in the stands as longtime Current defender Desiree Scott was honored. Scott, also a linchpin of the Canadian women’s national team for many years, announced her retirement at the end of the year.
Family, friends, and teammates spoke high praise of Scott, honoring her not just for on-field accomplishments, but for her impact on women’s soccer and to their individual lives through her caring and mentorship.
The Current will play next in San Antonio in the championship match of the Summer Cup on Oct. 25, then finish the regular season in Chicago against the Red Stars on Nov. 3. The team has already clinched a berth in the NWSL playoffs, but the opponent and date have not been announced.
