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What new Current signings mean for Sam Mewis, stacked midfield

Morgan Gautrat signed with the Kansas City Current this week after six seasons with the Red Stars. (Joe Robbins/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

This week, the Kansas City Current extended their growing reputation as one of the most aggressive NWSL clubs in the transfer market, announcing the signing of two veteran midfielders out of Chicago in Morgan Gautrat and Vanessa DiBernardo.

Gautrat, a two-time World Champion with the USWNT, and DiBernardo have been playing together longer than just their five years with the Red Stars: They were also teammates on the U-20 USWNT that won the World Cup in 2012, alongside new Kansas City teammate Sam Mewis. DiBernardo wore the No. 10 for the Red Stars for eight years and acted as their primary midfield playmaker, while Gautrat played as both a defensive and a connecting midfielder.

Gautrat and DiBernardo join a Current midfield that was a strength for the club last season despite being without Mewis for the year due to a lingering knee injury. The Current finished out the season playing with five in the midfield — three central midfielders and two wingbacks — and quick ball movement that carried the team all the way to the NWSL final.

Chicago also played with five in the midfield in 2022, and Gautrat and DiBernardo each feel they have the experience and flexibility to fit into head coach Matt Potter’s ethos.

“I think one thing that I enjoyed when I was talking with Matt was that they play with freedom and movement,” DiBernardo said during an introductory press conference Thursday. “I would say my strengths are kind of being able to connect the lines and connect the defense to the offense and create.”

Gautrat, known as a methodical tempo-setter, has the ability to manage a Kansas City midfield that sometimes got into footraces with opponents in 2022 as games opened up.

“I would hope that we would bring a calming presence to the field and be able to dictate the play a little bit more with the ball,” she said. “Because we do have players that are extremely lethal in transition.”

Despite the obvious value the two players bring to Kansas City, larger questions hang over the signings. Most notably: With so many midfielders, where will DiBernardo and Gautrat fit in?

For a team already playing with five in the middle, the addition of two clear starters could mean further roster restructuring before the beginning of the 2023 preseason. The club moved Victoria Pickett to Gotham late this year, and Claire Lavogez tore her ACL in October, but the roster is still stacked in the middle of the pitch.

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U.S. star Sam Mewis has yet to play for Kansas City since joining the club in a trade last offseason. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

The biggest mystery going into next year is Mewis, who made a huge splash when the Current acquired her from the North Carolina Courage last offseason. She ended up playing very little for Kansas City in 2022 as she deals with an increasingly slow recovery from a right knee injury. Mewis suffered cartilage damage in the knee in 2017, which she recovered from non-surgically. She then had arthroscopic surgery on the joint in August 2021 and has been rehabbing ever since. Neither Mewis nor the Kansas City or USWNT coaching staffs have given any indication as to the 30-year-old’s prospects in 2023, but the Current are clearly putting together an alternate plan.

“​​Obviously, they had some key injuries to two big players,” Gautrat said on Thursday. “So I think the team that they had did an extremely good job of finding an identity and rallying around that and working really well together.” The midfield that started the 2022 NWSL championship game included Alex Loera and Desiree Scott holding defensive seams, and Lo’eau Labonta as an attacking generator.

As it stands, Scott is the other question mark at the position. The 35-year-old veteran became a free agent herself after another excellent season for both Kansas City and Canada. Scott has been a part of the club — including the original FC Kansas City and Utah Royals clubs before relocation — since the NWSL’s inception, and she might have an interesting perspective on whether a move makes sense.

While Current general manager Camille Levin said this month that negotiations with Scott are ongoing and that she hopes “it’ll end in a good place for both of us,” Kansas City now has players who can cover similar ground.

“In the free-agency process, you look at teams that you personally feel like you can help, or you could add a layer dimension to the team that they would need,” Gautrat said.

The potential for different looks in the Current’s midfield seems obvious. After an excellent rookie season, Loera looks ready to take on greater responsibilities as a No. 6, and Gautrat and DiBernardo both have experience playing in a double pivot.

“I do like getting forward, but I also do really like and enjoy playing in a double-pivot midfield where it’s very seamless,” Gautrat said.

“There’s no necessarily strict 6, 8, or 10 sometimes, and I like that and I enjoy that.” DiBernardo agreed.

There probably isn’t going to be room for every talented player on Kansas City’s roster to make every starting XI, especially with Lynn Williams’ anticipated return to the attack. But therein also lies the point of putting an ambitious roster together: Intra-team competition is a necessary part of the process of building a championship team.

“I would love to win an NWSL Championship, I think that’s first and foremost,” Gautrat said.

Kansas City has been to the final once, and Gautrat and DiBernardo have played in two. It makes perfect sense why they believe they are what each other needs to end 2023 with a trophy.

Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.

‘The Late Sub’ Digs Into the Injury Report for NWSL and USWNT Star Trinity Rodman

A close-up profile of USWNT star Trinity Rodman looking out on the 2024 Olympic pitch.
Spirit star Trinity Rodman is away from the NWSL indefinitely with an ongoing back injury. (Harriet Lander - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

In this week's episode of The Late Sub, host Claire Watkins breaks down the newly reported indefinite absence of NWSL star Trinity Rodman from the Washington Spirit, with the 22-year-old attacker rehabbing an ongoing back injury that could reshape the prospects of both the Spirit and the USWNT.

Calling her "the face of the NWSL," Watkins details the Spirit star's long-term back injury, which has led Rodman to seek treatment with a team doctor in London — all while acknowledging that she doesn't think her "back will ever be 100%."

Watkins digs into the potential contributing factors to Rodman's current injury status, including the USWNT's heavy use of the forward during the 2024 Olympic gold medal-winning run in Paris — and whether the team will make different decisions going forward due to the fallout on players like Rodman.

"I'm really curious if [USWNT manager Emma] Hayes and her coaching staff will adjust the way they approach strikers in the future, or forwards in the future, or rotation — or if this is just one of those many stories of a player giving it all for the United States and living with the consequences," says Watkins.

As for Washington, Watkins note that — in the wake of copious injuries — the Spirit is still finding ways to win, with club owner Michele Kang and the coaching staff shrewdly managing the depleted roster.

"I think they would be a juggernaut if they were healthy, but they can win pretty, they can win ugly," notes Watkins.

'An NWSL breaking point'

Watkins also points out that she thinks Rodman's choice to seek treatment in London could be significant, as the forward is currently in a contract year.

With multiple NWSL standouts recently defecting to European clubs, Watkins argues that the US league is hitting a "breaking point" when it comes to retaining top players.

"I am just really, really curious if, by the end of this season, this situation has led Rodman back to the Spirit or if this is the beginning of a player having to progress forward in a different environment," Watkins sums up.

About 'The Late Sub' with Claire Watkins

The Late Sub with Claire Watkins brings you the latest news and freshest takes on the USWNT, NWSL, and all things women's soccer. Special guest appearances featuring the biggest names in women’s sports make TLS a must-listen for every soccer fan.

Follow Claire on X/Twitter @ScoutRipley and subscribe to the Just Women’s Sports newsletter for more.

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Mid-Table Contenders Square Off in Sixth NWSL Matchday

Seattle's Ainsley McCammon and Ana-Maria Crnogorevic warm up before a 2025 NWSL match.
Coming off a big win against Portland, the Seattle Reign face a key mid-table matchup this weekend. (Steph Chambers/NWSL via Getty Images)

There's a traffic jam in the middle of the NWSL standings, with this weekend's slate bound to create some distance among mid-table teams jockeying to break free from the pack.

Between rising underdogs and top-dog rivalries, expect the 2025 NWSL season's sixth matchday to leave it all on the field:

  • No. 10 Houston Dash vs. No. 11 Utah Royals, Friday at 8 PM ET (NWSL+): Tied up at four points apiece, the pair of struggling teams just below playoff contention on the NWSL table will battle for a boost above the cutoff line as the recently sold Royals take a trip to Texas on Friday.
  • No. 3 Washington Spirit vs. No. 4 Gotham FC, Saturday at 1 PM ET (CBS): This week's top-table showdown features two injury-struck East Coast rivals getting rowdy at Audi — can Gotham turn things around or will Washington keep persevering?
  • No. 9 Bay FC vs. No. 8 Seattle Reign, Saturday at 10 PM ET (ION): Seattle holds a slim tie-break over Bay FC as both teams hug the playoff line, with the Reign looking to build on last week’s Cascadia Clash victory over Portland.

This weekend has the potential to divide the contenders from the pretenders, while the league's top three clubs continue to hold court over the rest of the field.

Spirit, Gotham Stoke East Coast Rivalry Flames in Saturday NWSL Matchup

Washington goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury makes a save against East Coast rival Gotham during the 2024 NWSL semifinals.
The Washington Spirit knocked East Coast rival Gotham out of the 2024 NWSL Playoffs. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

Saturday's soccer lineup underlines a brewing East Coast rivalry, as the Washington Spirit hosts Gotham FC for the first time since knocking the Bats out of the 2024 NWSL semifinals.

"Just playing against them, you feel that fire," Spirit forward Makenna Morris told JWS this week, with Washington's Audi Field anticipating a large crowd for Saturday's match.

Both clubs know each other well, with 2021 NWSL champions Washington and 2023 trophy-winners Gotham seeing a number of big-name players migrating between New York and DC in recent years.

After finishing 2024 in the league's top four, both teams continue to lurk near the top of NWSL table this season, cementing the idea that the best rivalries blossom between winning sides.

"The [team] that poses the most challenge to you, it just makes you want to beat them so bad," said Washington midfielder Gabby Carle.

"You hate to play them because they're good, but you also love it because it's so competitive," echoed Morris.

Ultimately, familiarity is breeding healthy resentment between two of the NWSL's winningest sides, providing a little extra incentive to secure all three points in this weekend’s matchup.

How to watch NWSL rivals Washington vs. Gotham this weekend

The Spirit will host East Coast rival Gotham at 1 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage of the 2024 NWSL semifinals rematch airing on CBS.

WSL Clubs Fight for Survival in Champions League Semifinals

Barcelona's Claudia Pina celebrates her goal by pointing at teammate Alexia Putellas during their first-leg 2024/25 Champions League semifinal win over Chelsea.
Chelsea will attempt to overcome a 4-1 deficit against Barcelona on Sunday. (Ruben De La Rosa/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

As the 2024/25 UEFA Women's Champions League (UWCL) wraps up its two-leg semifinals on Sunday, the English teams still in the running find themselves on the brink of elimination from Europe's most prestigious club competition.

Facing a 4-1 deficit against reigning champs Barcelona, Chelsea will aim to close the gap — and keep their historic quadruple hopes alive — at home this weekend.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will try to overcome a more manageable 2-1 deficit against eight-time Champions League winners Lyon, traveling to France to keep their UWCL campaign alive.

An English side hasn't won the UWCL since 2007, when Arsenal took home the WSL's lone European championship trophy.

"Huge respect for their history and what they have been doing and producing in the Champions League, in Europe," Arsenal manager Renée Slegers said of Lyon. "I think they're still a very strong side."

"Subconsciously, you always have that thing when you fall short, like last year," said Lyon midfielder and USWNT captain Lindsey Heaps, reflecting back on last season’s title loss to Barcelona. "You lose a game, you lose a tournament – the feeling is there until you're back in the the games that can fix that feeling."

How to watch the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals

Sunday's second leg of the 2024/25 Champions League semifinals kicks off with Chelsea vs. Barcelona at 9 AM ET, before Arsenal faces Lyon at 12 PM ET.

Both matches will air live on DAZN.

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