Children’s Mercy Park | Kansas City, Kansas – Sunday, April 30 at 6:00 PM ET
Players to watch:
In Kansas City’s 2-0 win over Orlando, midfielder Hailie Mace became the first Current player to ever have multiple assists in a regular season game. Mace’s five career assists in league play for Kansas City are the most by any player in team history. Those assists were also good enough to send Mace to a tie for second in the league in that category as one of just three players with multiple assists on the year. In the goals department, the Current are led by forward Cece Kizer and midfielder Debinha, both of whom have two goals each.
Gotham forward Lynn Williams has scored three goals in her four NWSL appearances for Gotham FC. That is as many goals as any Gotham player scored for the team in the entirety of last season while Williams’ 10 shots on goal are just two shy of last season’s leader for the team (Ifeoma Onumonu -12). With forward Midge Purce not in action in the club’s win over North Carolina, Williams’ goal took her top the team’s scoring charts with three goals compared to Purce’s two.
Match facts: The Kansas City Current host NJ/NY Gotham FC on Sunday afternoon as the league’s lone match on the day, with Kansas City looking to build on its first win of the season against Orlando while Gotham could win a third straight match should they come away with all three points against the Current.
Kansas City has had an up-and-down start to the campaign, losing its first three games by a combined 9-3 scoreline before its bounce back 2-0 win over Orlando. Pressing high up the field, the Current have forced 66 turnovers within 40 meters of their opponent’s goal this season, the most of any NWSL team. Those high-press turnovers have in turn led directly to 12 shots and two goals.
Gotham is on a three-game win streak in all competitions with the team notching a clean sheet in all three matches. Prior to the streak, Gotham FC had allowed at least one goal in 19 straight matches, while it is their first time delivering three straight shutouts in a single season (all comps) since doing so in four straight games in May 2013. In their last outing, after a heavy rain delay at halftime of the match, an 80th minute strike from forward Lynn Williams lifted Gotham over North Carolina. Of all the veterans in new colors around the league, it’s hard to argue that anyone has had the impact Williams has had for Gotham through four games played.
Kansas City is unbeaten in its four all-time matches with Gotham FC (W2 D2), including a pair of 1-0 victories last season. The last time an NWSL team won three straight games against a single opponent, all by a 1-0 score, was the Utah Royals against the Spirit from 2018 to 2019.
