KC Current Defeat Utah Royals On Bethune's Birthday

RECAP

On March 14th the KC current took on Utah Royals at sunny CPKC Stadium. The sun was shining, the pitch was green and the only thing that could’ve made the day any better was if Temwa Chawinga was in the starting lineup.

It truly was a tale of two halves: in the first half the midfield appeared to be disorganized and the absences of Lo LaBonta(injury) as well as Claire Hutton was truly rearing it’s head as the Current often times were unable to maintain possession and Utah found themselves with many attacking opportunities which led to their opening goal and the lead at halftime.

This first half left me wondering whether or not it was a mistake not only to let go of Hutton, but also to make the lineup decisions which saw Debinha lined up at attacking midfielder with Ally Sentnor as the number nine. My speculation was soon put to bed as the second half got underway. KC was much more imaginative in their attacking play in part due to second half subs like Haley Hopkins, who provided a necessary spark to help carry the team forward.

The game tying goal was scored by birthday girl Croix Bethune. She managed to get behind the defense after a nice flick from Kayla Sharples put her in on goal and gave her the opportunity to slide the ball home past the keeper. The second goal was a work of individual brilliance from Ally Sentnor. She was able to carry the ball around multiple defenders and somehow cut the ball across her body and past the diving keeper’s hands. This was the Ally Sentnor we have been waiting to see as she scored her first goal in Teal.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I would say that this was an overall success in Chris Armas’ first game in charge, given the lack of attacking options available. The Current managed to get the win even with Michelle Cooper obviously not being 100% as evidence by her being subbed not long after halftime. I do think it’s really important to keep in mind that this team will only get better as time goes along and players get healthier. We will be watching to see what they can accomplish on the pitch as the season progresses.

#KCCurrent #NWSL