Children’s Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas – Saturday, April 1 at 12:50 PM ET
Players to watch:
Kansas City Current midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta won five fouls in the club’s opener last weekend, four more than any other Current player in the match. Since the beginning of last season, LaBonta has drawn 50 fouls in league play, behind only Savannah DeMelo (79) and Victoria Pickett (56) for most in the league in that span. Also in the opener, Current forward Michelle Cooper made her NWSL Regular Season debut and registered four shots, two of which were on target as the team was held scoreless.
Dating back to last season, Portland attacker Morgan Weaver has scored in three consecutive regular season games with four total goals in that time. Prior to her current run of form, the former No. 2 overall draft pick had scored five goals in her 37 league appearances. In Portland’s opener, Weaver opened the scoring in the 16thminute of a 4-0 win and was one of four goalscorers alongside teammates Sophia Smith (22’), Hina Sugita (49’), and Michele Vasconcelos (76’).
Match facts: The Kansas City Current host Portland Thorns FC on Saturday afternoon in a rematch of the 2022 NWSL Championship that will be televised nationally on CBS. The Current and Thorns were on opposite ends of the success spectrum in the opening weekend, with the hosts looking to bounce back after a 1-0 loss in North Carolina to the Courage and the visitors aiming to capitalize on a massive 4-0 win over Orlando in Portland to start the year.
Kansas City, who were unfortunate not to score in last weekend’s loss, registered 10 shots with three on target, but were far off evening possession (41.6%) and were edge in duels won (50-43) and tackles won (10-7) and just couldn’t seem to find their rhythm. Last season, the team only had one equal or lower share of the possession in a single match on only one occasion, 1-0 home win against Racing Louisville (40.2%).
On the other side, the Thorns had 16 shots on target in their 4-0 win over Orlando in their season opening, while allowing just one shot on goal. That is both the most shots on target by a team in a game and the largest shots on target differential in a single game in NWSL history. Last season, they beat the Current, 2-0, in the NWSL Championship and 3-0 at home in the season opener on April 30. Overall in 2022, Portland averaged 1.83 goals per game on the road, making them one of the highest scoring teams in that category.
Adding to the challenge, Portland is unbeaten all-time in all competitions against the Current, winning five of seven meetings (D2). Kansas City has scored just twice in those matches and has never held a lead against Portland in any match.
