Editor’s Note: Due to inconsistent (and often non-existent) women’s sports coverage in Charlotte and the Carolinas, Soccer Sheet is going in a different direction: a weekly newsletter devoted to women’s soccer.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be writing about the NWSL, the USL Super League, the USWNT, and other international competitions — while still including women’s soccer coverage in our Cheat Sheets.
Our goal is for our readers to be well-versed and ready for next year’s World Cup in Brazil, and as excited for the 2031 edition — right here in the U.S. — as we were for the Men’s World Cup earlier this year.
How a Women’s Team Can Tie a Community Together
This weekend, Soccer Sheet traveled to Kansas City — home of the KC Current, and the first sports stadium purpose-built for a women’s professional team.
The experience was magical.
CPKC Stadium lives up to the hype. The city, the venue, the club, the team, and CPKC Stadium the fans all came together for what might be the best matchday experience in the United States.
Yes, that includes MLS.
We took a packed streetcar from our downtown hotel and arrived a short walk from the stadium. Out of our previous experiences, it felt the most like going to Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg, but if you’ve ever taken a train to a club match in England or Europe, you get the idea.
Many of the streetcars, by the way, are fully branded for the Current both inside and out. The seats resemble players’ shirts, names, roster numbers, while pictures of the players are plastered on the outside of the train cars.
The Current’s branding is all across Kansas City, and in the home of Ted Lasso, there are many believers. When you get to the Riverfront, the KC Current teal takes over, and the color coordination is intentional and impressive.
Supporters got the memo; most of the fans wore the home colors. The Denver Summit, an NWSL expansion team and the Current’s visiting opponent, were well-represented. The supporters’ section was full and loud, with a good mix of well-worn American soccer songs and some local chants (KC Baby!) as well.
The supporters were especially loud whenever Current stars Temwa Chaŵinga and Debinha touched the ball, and kept asking for goals even after Haley Hopkins scored her first career hat trick and Chaŵinga put the match away with a fourth.
Spirits were high for our lunchtime match, and fans of all ages were having fun. CPKC Stadium found the balance between fun for adults and fun for kids, with good, local food and drink juxtaposed with play areas, sensory shelters, and collectable popcorn buckets. Parents, couples, birthing parents, bros, kids, and elders all had somewhere to go and something to do.
The venue prides itself on how close each seat is to the pitch, the only downside of which is the relatively low capacity of 11,500 — though an expansion to 18,000 is in the works.
The vibes are 10/10 in Teal Town, and every league could learn a lot from what they’re doing. We hope to be back soon.
Current Knock Courage Below Playoff Line ahead of Critical Sunday Match
Leaves aren’t the only thing falling this weekend.
On Friday night, Seattle Reign FC’s 2-0 win over Boston Legacy FC put Boston ahead of the Courage in the National Women’s Soccer League table.
On Saturday morning, the North Carolina Courage (12-10-3, 39 Points) sat in 8th place, above the playoff line, as Courage star Ashley Sanchez continued to chase the single-season scoring record set by the Kansas City Current’s Temwa Chaŵinga.
After the Current’s dominant 4-1 victory over Denver Summit FC, the Courage are now chasing the KC Current (12-9-5, 41 Points) and the final spot in the NWSL playoffs.
With a win in tonight’s match in Utah, the now-9th place Lioness can plausibly bounce back to as high as 6th on the table, leapfrogging their opponent Utah Royals FC (13-9-3, 42 Points), Seattle, and the Current.
The Royals host the Courage at 7 PM ET at America First Field in Sandy, Utah. The match will be broadcast on the Roku Channel.
Sanchez is still one goal behind Chaŵinga’s record, though Chaŵinga reached 20 goals in fewer matches (This year’s season is longer due to the inclusion of Denver and Boston). If Sanchez gets a brace, the record will fall, and the Courage will likely rise back into playoff position.
Courage goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan is also nearing league history on the opposite end of the pitch. The Canadian keeper is one clean sheet away from becoming the third goalkeeper in league history to hit 50 career regular season clean sheets. The NWSL record is 52, held by Nicole Barnhart.
Due to suspensions, the Royals are missing forward Paige Cronin (2G, 1A) and starting midfielder Ana Tejada (0G, 2A). However, star forward Mina Tanaka (9G, 4A) will be available for selection.
Meanwhile, the Courage are still without Ally Schlegel and Lauryn Thompson, while Natalie Jacobs is questionable with a head injury.
Carolina Ascent Battle to a Draw
First place Carolina Ascent FC (5-1-1, 16 Points) drew their first match of the season against third place Sporting JAX (3-2-2, 11 Points) on Saturday night, remaining undefeated against Jacksonville.
For more on the Ascent’s dominant USL Super League season so far, check out this week’s cheat sheet.
For the second match in a row, Mia Corbin’s corner kick was converted into a goal by Shea Groom. Jill Aguilera and Reese Tappan (assisted by Aguilera) joined in on the scoring for the ascent, with all three women recording their second goal of the season.
Corbin and Aguilera are now tied for first place in the league in the assist column with 3 apiece.
On the Jacksonville side, Baylee DeSmit continued to show why she is leading the league’s Golden Boot race; her brace gave Jacksonville two go-ahead goals over the course of the match, and at 7 goals on the season she’s averaged one per match.
The Ascent are off next week for the start of the Women’s international break, and next travel to Florida to take on Tampa Bay Sun FC (2-1-2, 8 Points) on October 10 at 5:00 PM. Their next home match is Friday, October 16 at 6:30 PM as they host second place DC Power FC (3-2-2, 11 Points) at Memorial Stadium.