This KC Current Matchup Has Implications That Could Last Years
The result of the KC Current - Utah Royals match today could be the difference between a dynasty and a rebuild
On the surface, today is just another match for the KC Current.
Are there huge playoff implications? Sure. Will it serve as a sort of ‘heat check’ after coming off of back to back impressive blowouts? You could say that. Is it one of our final chances to see if we can play up to our potential on the road? Yes.
But at the end of the day, the Current are going to lace up their boots the same way they always do and put as much effort as they’ve consistently known they need to.
None of the above context even begins to explain the stakes for today’s match.
This has been an odd year for the Current. They traded away beloved players without ever replacing them positionally. They sold other players -- which at the time seemed like it carried the purpose of going out and signing others -- but on this side of the transfer deadline, it seems those moves were more for financial gain. They parted with one of the most beloved people in Kansas City period in Vlatko Andonovski without so much as a goodbye. And if all of that wasn’t enough, the rumors seemed to get louder and louder as the year went on that there is growing dysfunction between ownership, management, and the players on the squad.
Maybe some of the aforementioned dysfunction could be thrown to the wind if the Current were replicating what they did in 2025 but that’s not the case. Though they have continued to be extremely consistent in avoiding a loss at CPKC Stadium, they have done essentially the opposite on the road where, so far, they can hardly buy a win. That coupled with injuries has made this organization a boiling pot for frustration.
The house that Vlatko built is on fire and the firefighters got cut for budgetary reasons.
But in the midst of all this commotion, the Current have found a way to drown out the noise, get healthy, and make a late season playoff push that is making their diehard fans proud. They’ve outscored their last two opponents 9-2 without the contributions of Croix Bethune -- largely considered their most impactful player this season -- and guess what? Croix is back today!
The Current will be as healthy today as they ever could of imagined all season. They are adding two new faces to the injury report in Elizabeth Ball and Rocky Rodriguez (both lower leg injuries) but both of those seem to be out of an abundance of caution. In terms of who would likely be the Starting XI in a playoff game; everyone is healthy. So they go into the house of #4 ranked Utah today with a newfound confidence, health, and determination. That Utah team is fourth in the table. The Current are fifth. A two point difference separates the two. In other words, the Current could end the day in a top four position. Everything about this match has a familiar playoff energy to it and I personally can’t wait to see how it plays out.
So what are the added stakes today?
Who knows the severity of what’s going on behind the scenes? At it’s very core, we can’t know the full extent. So hear me when I say that some messes are too much to clean up. But assuming it’s not for a moment; today’s match could very well be a decider for what the Current look like next year, the year after that, and many more years to come.
The Current have most of their best and most crucial to the franchise players returning next year in the terms of their contracts but to keep them together it is still very important that they want to play here -- and there’s many reasons to believe many of them won’t. Let’s go back to what team captain Lo’eau Labonta said a few days after Vlatko’s ‘departure’: “we’ve lost … our head coach, our GM, our head of performance, our head scout” she said while counting on her fingers “…the list goes on. And so, it hurts the players because in women’s sports especially, it takes so long to build trust and we had that with the group.”
The Current players lack trust, consistency, and any time to feel comfortable with their current situation. But sometimes, winning heals the deepest wounds. Is that something that a championship or deep playoff run could do this year? Again, we aren’t in the players heads so we can’t say. But if they even want a chance at that deep playoff run; it starts with winning today.
A win today could solidify the continued success of a great -- and young -- franchise. A loss could kill it.