The Kansas City Current squad is cruising near the top of the National Women´s Soccer League (NWSL) as the 2024 season unfolds. Currently, the Current sits second behind only the Orlando Pride. Not bad for an expansion team that entered the female fray as late as 2021. But how did the team get its unique name, you ask, and who´s allowed them to conquer so often and challenge for NWSL hardware so quickly?
How Did Kansas City Get Its ´Current´ Name?
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Once upon a time, you may have found yourself singing along loudly to that famous ditty: “I´m going to Kansas City; Kansas City, here I come!” The humming metropolis has long rested on the banks of the mighty Missouri River at the center or so-called crossroads of that wide ´golden valley ´ known as the USA. Of course, Kansas City is a crucial area in terms of agriculture, commerce, culture, and geography. Its city limits span the border between two great states in the American heartland, Kansas and Missouri. It´s not too bad at American football either, as the world-champion K.C. Chiefs will attest.
When the Kansas City Current and its special brand recently came into existence, the locals expressed their desire to have a women´s team that captures a clear vision: Ambitious, elite, fierce, powerful, visionary, and inclusive. More critically, the franchise name selected encapsulates both the determination and lofty level of play of top-notch athletes who don’t simply want to march after Kansas City´s male teams. Those are the baseball Royals, the aforementioned Chiefs, and Sporting K.C. in MLS. The Current is blazing its very own distinct way forward.
The Kansas City Current label resonated with supporters since it at once honors Kansas City’s history and the progressive path of the new soccer club. “On the banks of the river, the energy is palpable. There is a relentless rushing that never stops. Power lives here,” according to the poetic words of Willoughby by Design, the firm responsible for the conquering team´s branding and image from the outset.
Is Bia Better than Marta?
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While the league-leading Orlando Pride features one of world football´s most prominent stars, Marta (six-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year), the Kansas City Current boasts their own Brazilian ace, 30-year-old Bia (Beatriz) Zaneratto. Since joining the Brazil Women´s National Team in 2010, Zaneratto has featured in 103 games, including the previous four World Cups and the last two Olympic tourneys (where Brazil came away with two silvers) while finding the back of the net on 36 occasions.
“Bia’s goal-scoring ability, (and) creativity in and around the box are extraordinary. She´s a world-class forward, proven in club and country,” exclaimed Current head honcho and former USWNT coach Vlatko Andonovski.
But the stunning team move that Bia finished with aplomb against Panama in the 2023 Women´s World Cup in New Zealand reveals her deep Brazilian roots. An amazing collective effort, the strike showed off the pillars of Brazil´s best soccer. The flowing move captivated both fans and FIFA (the world body soon deconstructed the play step by step on its website) due to its rapid-fire footwork and improvisation: plenty of creativity and dynamic dribbling, topped off by a sweet one-two.
The head of Brazil´s Seleção at the time, Pia Sundhage, readily admitted that it didn´t emanate from any drill straight from the practice field. Rather, it was a goal that naturally welled up from her confident players. “The third goal was a thing of beauty. You can’t teach that because it’s typically Brazilian. So unpredictable and so skillful,” the Swedish coach-turned-fan gushed.
Nowadays, Bia´s running mate with the Kansas City Current. 25-year-old Malawian international striker Temwa Chawinga causes jaws to drop with her lightning pace in attack, similar to her sister Tabitha at France´s PSG. This season, Temwa has chipped in with five goals and three assists soon after racking up a ridiculous 83 goals in 84 games with China´s Wuhan Jianghan. Yet Temwa is much more than a simple speedster. Her nifty passing shows her unselfishness, and she´s also adept at making space for teammates via her incisive off-ball runs, in the words of Tim Grainey at Tribal Football.
What´s more: Coach Andonovski is back home after he was raked over the coals by USWNT followers when his team was eliminated from the ´23 WWC early on (a previously unheard-of Round of 16 exit). Obviously, Vlatko´s much more at ease now in K.C., his stomping grounds for years, as well as the triumphant stage where he guided FC Kansas City to two NWSL titles in the early days of 2014 and 2015.
Kansas City Current: Welcome to The Soccer Capital of America!
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Not to sound overly nationalistic, but Kansas City modestly calls itself ´the Soccer Capital of America.´ Clearly, the Kansas City Current wants to add to that large legacy. Kansas City has already served as the host to the MLS All-Star Game, along with a few Big 12 Soccer Championships and the NCAA Division III Soccer Championships.
The visitkc.com site is quick to tell us that no matter the age or skill level, Kansas City is “the country´s most vibrant and thriving destination for soccer fans. With a soccer fan base as passionate as the one in Kansas City (plus its world-class training structure), it comes as no surprise that the City of Fountains has been officially named a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.”
Take that, L.A.!
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Veteran soccer writer Will Beebe has followed soccer around the world for decades, including Kansas City where his close relatives resided. His recent book, Soccer Giants of Brazil: One American´s Take on Samba Soccer Culture, is now on Amazon. | www.soccergaintsofbrazil.com | Connect with Will on X: @WABeebe11
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