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The secrets behind the Kansas City Current’s stunning turnaround

Current midfielder Lo’eau Labonta is tied for the team lead with six goals this season. (Amy Kontras/USA TODAY Sports)

There isn’t just one secret behind the Kansas City Current’s 13-game unbeaten streak that has propelled last year’s basement dwellers to the top of the NWSL table. In less than a year, the club has made roster tweaks and coaching changes while investing significant capital into off-field support to forge a radical turnaround.

After winning just three games in 2021, the club’s first season since relocating from Utah, the Current now sit at the forefront of the NWSL Shield race with nine wins, four losses and five draws. In a year of firsts, their change in fortune is unprecedented.

Even with all the best-laid plans, changing a locker room culture after a disappointing season can be difficult. So, maybe the best place to start is the “douchebag jar.”

“If anybody ever catches you being a douchebag and not a good teammate, you have to contribute to that jar,” midfielder Lo’eau Labonta tells Just Women’s Sports. There’s currently only one problem with the jar, Labonta says: No one is messing up enough to have to contribute to it.

“Right now, because I handle that jar, I’ve been petty and have been like, ‘Oh, you didn’t give me a hug today, put money in the jar,’” she says with a laugh, noting that the end-of-season party might suffer because of a lack of funds. “But that’s how good this team is — we’re being self-accountable,” she continues. “And if it needs to go another level, all your teammates are going to be there.”

There’s an easygoing joy to the way Current players speak about their team culture, and that chemistry has paid off this year in spades, with four regular-season games left before they begin their quest for an NWSL title. Kansas City has found success with quick goals in transition and an all-in mentality that never lets a game get out of reach.

They’re known for roofing penalties into the back of the net, being tenacious defensively and performing goal celebrations that have gone viral far beyond the insular circles of women’s soccer. So, how did a team that struggled to find results emerge as one of the best NWSL stories of the year?

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Defender Hailie Mace and the Current are on a 13-match unbeaten streak. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Becoming a team

Labonta has been ride-or-die for this group for a long time. She’s played for the club in three iterations: first as FC Kansas City, then the Utah Royals, and now as the Kansas City Current. Of the current squad, only Labonta and Desiree Scott are left from the final 2017 FC Kansas City roster. Being ready to move at a moment’s notice is an inherent part of professional sports, but wholesale change through roster upheaval and two relocations comes with bumps in the road and very little time to adjust.

As Labonta tells it, while the Utah Royals had serious issues in other areas — the team folded in 2020 after reports of racism and misogyny under owner Dell Loy Hansen — the facilities were some of the best she’s seen in her career. What the roster found in Kansas City upon their return was much more temporary, in ways that challenged them.

The club didn’t have a name, crest or facilities when the players first arrived, and they played their games in 2021 on a converted baseball field. There was never any question that owners Chris Long, Angie Long and Brittney Matthews were committed to creating something special, but players had to go through growing pains to get there.

The Current didn’t have a locker room to change in before or after training in 2021, instead using trailers for basic functions, which Labonta says made bonding off the field difficult. The group made conscientious efforts to change the locker-room energy during a difficult season, but sometimes the biggest contributing factor was lacking the physical space to do so.

“When you’re in a locker room in a group setting, somebody else is going to disagree with you,” she says. “So at least those harder conversations come out, and we build on that.”

Labonta also credits roster shake-ups for the team’s renewed purpose this season, including the trades that brought in Kristen Hamilton and Hailie Mace in 2021 and welcomed Cece Kizer and Addisyn Merrick in 2022.

“It was very difficult on the mental side to be here in Kansas City last year,” she says. “But then we bring in these new, fresh legs, people who have won on teams before, it just brought a new competitive edge.”

A clean slate

Despite taking some positive steps in the second half of 2021, the Current finished the season 10th in the NWSL table, with just 16 points in 24 games. From there, Kansas City moved head coach Huw Williams into a technical staff role and hired Matt Potter to replace him. Potter brought experience from coaching at the USWNT youth levels and from a long career in the NCAA.

When Current players reconvened in 2022, they had finally gotten their bearings and were determined not to let negativity seep into the locker room. With the promise of a new facility and a brand-new coaching staff, they sensed for the first time they had a chance at a clean slate.

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Elyse Bennett has bought into the positive team culture set by coach Matt Potter and veterans from Day 1. (Amy Kontras/USA TODAY Sports)

Rookie Elyse Bennett, selected in the first round of the 2022 College Draft out of Washington State, recalls feeling like she was joining a club amid a turnaround. “I know from the vets and people who were here last year, they said it was a complete 180 from what they experienced last year,” she says.

Ownership paid for the team to travel to Florida and train at IMG Academy for a month during the preseason, which Labonta and Bennett both described as crucial to the team’s reset.

“We got a completely new coaching staff and we started from square one, and everybody bought in from there,” Labonta says.

“I don’t think I’ve been a part of a team where the chemistry has been this good,” adds Bennett.

The month they spent in Florida also gave the coaching staff enough time to identify every player’s strengths and establish their roles accordingly.

“I think that the coaches’ main focus in Florida was kind of establishing our structure and what we were planning to do as a team,” Bennett says. “Not looking specifically at different players, but more so just the roles that we needed to fill on the field.”

Leaving it all on the field

The Current have done the work off the field, opening a world-class training facility in June and breaking ground for a new stadium set to host games in 2023. As for on-field results, the club has produced faster than most people expected.

Kansas City made two blockbuster moves in the offseason, trading for three-time NWSL champion Lynn Williams as well as three-time NWSL champion and World Cup champion Sam Mewis. Due to injuries, neither star has played a regular-season game for the club, and yet their absences have not slowed Kansas City down much at all.

It’s hard to describe what it’s like to watch Kansas City methodically win games. While they occasionally get pulled out of shape or rely on AD Franch’s excellent goalkeeping to keep them in a match, they’re almost always able to flip a switch, move the ball with confidence and finish on the other end. Then, they celebrate those goals with an openness that we don’t always see in the NWSL.

When things aren’t always clicking in the midfield or on a final pass, sometimes the only response Labonta has is laughter. “I think we play our best when we’re having fun. And that’s why I do have a smile on my face a lot of the time, because I just enjoy seeing what my teammates can do,” she says.

That energy from Labonta, who is tied for the team lead with six goals this season, filters down to the rest of the Current.

“I think that it gives us the ability to be an individual and showcase our gifts. And Matt doesn’t dampen that. He allows us to play pretty freely, which is great,” says Bennett, who has three goals in her rookie season.

“I think that the way we play is also very methodical at times. It may not seem like we have something in place, but I feel like we’re all on the same page in terms of what we’re trying to do on the field, both offensively and defensively.”

Underdog energy

The Current aren’t the only NWSL team exceeding expectations this year, but they’re building something unique while setting a league precedent. Kansas City is the only city in NWSL history to have a folded team return, and the players don’t take that lightly.

“The style of play is what we owe to the fans. They showed up for us at a baseball field, and we weren’t giving them the best of results,” Labonta says. “This is the type of soccer I think the fans deserve. And so we as players are just grateful that we’re able to finally attain that and give that to them.”

As for what comes next, even if there’s more to the Current’s story than seemingly overnight success, they embrace the underdog moniker. What started as a strong Challenge Cup showing has turned into a legitimate shot at the best record in the NWSL, and the Current are ready to be known as much for what they do on the field as off of it.

“We’re not here just to show up to our facility and talk about our locker room and how great it is,” Labonta says. “We’re here to compete and get to playoffs, and try and win this whole thing.”

Claire Watkins is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering soccer and the NWSL. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

USC’s McKenzie Forbes: From Gap Year to the NCAA Tournament

As part of our 1-v-1 video series, USC’s India Otto sat down to interview her teammate McKenzie Forbes. 

Here are five things to know from our conversation with the graduate transfer from Folsom, California.

#1 Inspired by USC’s Head Coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, McKenzie wants to be a basketball coach or work in the front office in the future.

When weighing in on what makes a good coach, McKenzie said x’s and o’s are important but “Coaching is a lot of relationship managing and people managing. I think you have to be a good people person and be able to build those relationships, but also in that same breath, you can’t be afraid to have people dislike you in moments. I think that’s a big part of leadership.”

#2 McKenzie says the trajectory of her career changed when she made the decision to transfer from Cal to Harvard.

 In order to transfer, she was forced to take a gap year and spend a lot of time in the gym. “I completely transformed my body and, going into the Harvard season, felt like I was a completely different player. Going to Harvard and playing in a more mid-major conference, I had the ball in my hands a lot more than I might have if I transferred to another Power 5. It really developed other parts of my game.”

#3 How does McKenzie think USC will do in the Women’s College Basketball Tournament?

“I’m not going to give a typical interview answer. I want a Final Four. We have that potential and capability. Like why not? Why not us? I think we have all the pieces.”

#4 Her older brother, Marcus, was her biggest mentor growing up.

“He was basically my trainer from Elementary school on until he went to college.”

#5 Fun facts about Forbes:

She can juggle and she was the quarterback of her Pop Warner football team. “I was slow but I could throw it!”

Watch the full conversation on the Just Women’s Sports YouTube channel.

Christen Press back training with Angel City FC

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: Christen Press #23 of Angel City FC waves to fans following a game between the Portland Thorns and Angel City FC at BMO Stadium on October 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Christen Press continues to inch her way back to a return, having returned to training with her club team Angel City. 

Angel City FC coach Becki Tweed said on Wednesday that Press is back with the team full-time as she continues to make her way back from an ACL injury. While she’s still working on rehab, her being back with the team gives staff a better picture of her progress. 

"Christen [Press] is back with us full time which is amazing,” she said. “Having her in and around the team every day, continuing to work hard on rehab ... she's in a space where being in with the team is really important to her and her progression as well.”

The status update comes days after Press posted videos to social media that featured her doing lateral movement in cleats on grass. 

“Look out world she’s on the move !” Press captioned it. 

Press has been sidelined with an ACL injury since 2022, which caused her to miss the 2023 World Cup. She’s since had four separate surgeries to help repair her ACL.

Press told The Athletic a month ago that she’s been “relentless” in her optimism with her recovery despite it being a “slow process.”

“I have a bit of relentless optimism,” she told The Athletic. “I never, ever doubted that I would make it back on any of the timelines I’ve been on."

"Every single time I’ve heard, ‘You have to have surgery,’ I’m completely shocked,” she said. “When somebody asks me how it’s going, I’m like, ‘It’s going great. And it was going great every time. So I don’t know what to tell you anymore!’”

Sophia Smith re-signs with Portland on record deal

(Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports)

Sophia Smith is now the NWSL’s highest-paid player. 

The Portland Thorns announced on Wednesday that they have signed Smith to a new contract through the 2025 season, with an option for 2026. While the terms of the deal were not disclosed, the team did reveal that Smith is now the highest-paid player in the league on an annual basis.

It’s the latest in what has been a series of record-breaking contracts in the NWSL offseason. 

Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson, Bay FC forward Racheal Kundananji, and Orlando Pride forward Barbra Banda all signed multi-year deals worth between $2 million and $2.5 million in total. While Smith’s contract is shorter and not worth as much over the long-term, the annual worth is higher. 

“We are over the moon to have Soph commit again to the Thorns. She is a proven, world-class talent and one that we are excited to have contribute to the team’s continued success,” said head coach Mike Norris in a statement. “We look forward to working with her in a Thorns jersey as she continues to shine as one of the top strikers in the world.”

In just four seasons in the NWSL, Smith has led the Thorns to five trophies – including the 2022 NWSL championship – while winning league and championship MVP in 2022. In 61 appearances with Portland, she has 34 goals – including a brace to start this season against Kansas City. 

She’s also a member of the USWNT, having scored 16 goals in 44 international appearances.  Set to become a free agent at the end of this season, she told ESPN she “thought of all the options” but ultimately Portland felt like the right decision.

"There is no place like Portland," Smith said in a small roundtable interview that included ESPN. "I don't believe there's an environment like Portland to play in and it's a city that's so special to me and a city that I feel like I've grown up in almost and become who I am."

She also told ESPN that the team’s new ownership “changes everything.” The club is now led by the Bhathal family, who bought the club after Merritt Paulson was forced to sell it following his part in the NWSL’s abuse scandal. 

"Since I've been here there has been a lot of things going on with this club -- a lot of not-great things going on with this club -- and I have just been waiting for some stability and some reassurance that this club is headed in the right direction, and the Bhathal family coming in is doing exactly that, if not more,” Smith said. 

"Their vision for this club is so exciting, and you can just tell how passionate they are about making this what it should be and continuing to push the standard in women's soccer globally.”

Caitlin Clark offered $5 million to compete in Ice Cube’s league

IOWA CITY, IOWA- MARCH 25: Guard Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates as time runs out in the second half against the West Virginia Mountaineers during their second round match-up in the 2024 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Championship at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on March 25, 2024 in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images)

Caitlin Clark has been offered $5 million to play in Ice Cube's Big3 league, he confirmed on social media Wednesday after the offer leaked.

"We intended the offer to remain private while Caitlin Clark plays for the championship," Ice Cube wrote on social media. "But I won't deny what's now already out there: BIG3 made a historic offer to Caitlin Clark. Why wouldn't we? Caitlin is a generational athlete who can achieve tremendous success in the BIG3."

While there has yet to be a women's player in the league, both Nancy Lieberman and Lisa Leslie have been part of the league as coaches and won championships.

"The skeptics laughed when we made Nancy Lieberman the first female coach of a men's pro team, and she won the championship in her first year," Ice Cube continued. "Then Lisa Leslie won it all in year two. With our offer, Caitlin Clark can make history and break down even more barriers for women athletes."

Ice Cube, whose name is O’Shea Jackson, says that the offer was made with the intention that Clark be able to compete in the WNBA “offseason.” Clark is largely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA draft in April. But it’s unclear how the scheduling of the two leagues would work. 

The 2024 Big3 season is set to tip off on June 15, with 10 games spanning through mid-August. The WNBA regular season, meanwhile, begins on May 14 and ends on Sept. 19.

On “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, Jackson said that the league has yet to hear back from Clark. 

“We just need an answer, as soon as they are ready to give it to us,” he said. “It’s always 50-50 till we get a no. At the end of the day, it’s a generous offer.”

The offer – as well as the confusion on Jackson’s part about the timing of the WNBA season – caused some current WNBA players to react. 

"It's funny cause I be seeing his son at W games.. they don't talk?" wrote former No. 1 pick Rhyne Howard

"So no other women's basketball player has came to mind in the last 7 years?" wrote Lexie Brown, adding that she'd support if Ice Cube wanted to build a women's iteration of the league. She later discussed it on the Gils Arena Show, noting that his reasoning of wanting to “uplift and support WNBA players and women athletes” is a “cop out.”

Kalani Brown, meanwhile, told Clark to "take that money" and start a women's Big3.

WNBA salaries has been a talking point in recent months as more collegiate stars declare for the league. WNBA stars have often made more money playing abroad than they have in the WNBA. Clark is expected to be the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft on April 15, with a rookie salary of $76,535 for lottery draft picks (Nos. 1-4) that rises to $97,582 by her fourth season. But she also has an NIL valuation of almost $3.5 million.

Diana Taurasi famously skipped the 2015 WNBA season at the request of her Russian club, who paid her more to sit out than she would have made in the W. Her contract with the club was reportedly near $1.5 million per year.

Jackson also seemed to suggest that his league could be an alternative to going abroad

“America’s women athletes should not be forced to spend their off seasons playing in often dismal and dubious foreign countries just to make ends meet,” he wrote. Although it’s unclear whether or not the rapper intends to make offers to additional WNBA players. 

While the league does hold prioritization rules in its CBA, those typically apply only to players playing in overseas leagues. It’s unclear whether or not that would prevent Clark’s participation in the Big3 league.

WNBA players that don’t want to go overseas currently have the option of playing in Athletes Unlimited, which competes in the WNBA offseason.

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