It’s coming down to the wire for the Kansas City Current. The team’s playoff hopes took a turn for the worse after a 2-0 loss to the San Diego Wave on Friday night, plus other results from the rest of the league.
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Wins from Angel City and the Denver Summit moved the pack competing for the final two playoff spots much closer together.
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The Current has dropped to the eighth and final playoff spot with a record of 11-9-5 (38 points) with just a plus-3 goal differential. Below them, lurking in the background, are the Seattle Reign (37 points) and this weekend’s opponent, the Summit (35 points).
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That matchup with Denver on Saturday morning (11:30 a.m. Central kickoff from CPKC Stadium) is massive. A KC win would put distance between the Current and others near the playoff line. With a KC loss, Denver would leapfrog Kansas City on points and every tiebreaker, dropping the Current out of the playoff picture with four games left.
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The Current has put itself in a precarious position. The team could fail to make the playoffs for the first time since 2023.
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As much as the team’s road woes are a problem, so is the failure to get all three points at home after the World Cup break. The club publicly touts an incredibly long unbeaten streak in NWSL regular-season play — 29 games, dating back to 2024, to be exact. But since returning from the World Cup, the Current has won just two of its six home matches, with 10 points from a possible 18.
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With three home games remaining, including a matchup against the high-flying Washington Spirit, the Current probably needs at least seven points (two wins and a draw) from those matches alone.
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Injuries, international absences and behind-the-scenes upheaval have played a large part in the Current’s position. Head coach Chris Armas has likened it to trying to build a house in a hurricane. The question is if and when the storm will end.
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“What’s it going to take?” Armas said after Friday’s loss. “It’s going to take us sticking to it. This team is a good team … that’s together. And you can see that when a connected team is together the way we are, all is possible. It’s going to be there for us.”
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André Luiz shines in spite of Sporting KC collapse
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For a second straight week, André Luiz made Major League Soccer’s team of the matchday. The winger’s two goals and near-third played a massive role in the 3-0 lead Sporting amassed just 15 minutes into its last match.
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Never mind how the club blew it — enough has been said about that. Sporting had a lead to blow thanks to Luiz’s brilliance. His solo-effort goal was up for goal of the week.
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“André has shown since day one that he is a special player, that he can make special plays individually,” head coach Raphael Wicky said. “He can make something out of nothing.”
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Luiz is now responsible for three of Sporting’s nine goals in the last three matches — his only three starts in a Sporting shirt. His arrival has opened up space for others, with Taylor Calheira netting three in that space and goals from Stephen Afrifa, Jacob Bartlett and Wyatt Meyer rounding out the total.
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Sporting has certainly found a burgeoning star. His ability has been unquestioned since he stepped on the field, and he’s acclimated to the team and league quickly.
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Capita’s interesting situation
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Sporting KC winger Capita has missed the team’s last two matches with a hamstring injury. He is still not in full training, Wicky said Tuesday.
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“We were hoping it’s going to be next week,” Wicky said. “But now with the international break and with some rules of FIFA, it’s going to be a bit longer. Health-wise, he could be available again next week. But we’re not there yet. He’s not training with us this week.”
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Capita is from Angola, and the nation’s national team tried to call him up for action during the current FIFA window. However, because of his injury and the recent birth of his child, Capita did not accept the call-up. He has not been rostered on a matchday for Angola since 2023.
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FIFA rules stipulate that if a player declines a call-up during a FIFA match window, he cannot appear in any matches for his club team during that time frame plus five days after the window closes.
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As Wicky said, Sporting was targeting a return for the road match against Seattle on Oct. 1. However, the rule for the extra five days beyond the window’s closure (Oct. 6) would also keep Capita out for the match against the Portland Timbers on Oct. 10.
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Roos complete non-conference gauntlet, rise to No. 8 in country
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The KC Roos men’s soccer team completed a non-conference gauntlet that included tough unranked opponents and four matches against top-15 teams. UMKC went unbeaten in those four games, winning two and drawing two, capped by a 1-0 win over No. 7 San Diego on Sunday.
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“I’m proud of them because sometimes you’re like, ‘Did I overdo (the schedule)?’” head coach Ryan Pore said. “But they came out unblemished.”
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UMKC has now risen to No. 8 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll and No. 4 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll. The Roos have done so without their two top strikers, Raphael Kistmann (whose eligibility is wrapped up in the court system) and Jeremy Francou.
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“There’s real belief in that locker room that this team can continue to win these types of games,” Pore said after the win. “Our internal expectations are higher than external. And I think this just proves the games we can play, the games we can host here at Durwood, the meaningful games.”
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Summit League play begins on Saturday against Oral Roberts.
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Daniel Sperry covers soccer for The Star. He can be reached at sperry.danielkc@gmail.com.
