The No. 1 Kansas City Current hit an unexpected skid on Saturday, when the 2025 NWSL Shield-winners suffered a 1-0 upset loss to the No. 10 Houston Dash — and lost their star striker, Temwa Chawinga, to injury along the way.
Despite leading the match in shots, shots on goal, and possession, the defeat snapped the Current's 17-game unbeaten streak, leaving the club one result short of setting a new franchise record.
"Sometimes things like this will happen," Kansas City head coach Vlatko Andonovski said postgame. "You're going to dominate, you're going to do everything well, but you're not going to score a goal…. I'm glad it happened now and not two games from now."
The loss stings, but with the top postseason berth already secured, Kansas City's concern turns to their 2024 MVP after Chawinga exited the match with a non-contact injury.
A knock to the upper right leg saw the Malawi international wheeled off the pitch in the 29th minute, with Andonovski later clarifying that it was not a knee injury.
Considered a frontrunner to repeat as both NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner, the 27-year-old leads the league in scoring this season with 15 goals over 23 appearances.
While Kansas City is still awaiting a specific diagnosis for their star striker, time could be on the Current's side, as this week's international break gives Chawinga a moment to rest before her club closes out their 2025 NWSL regular season — and, more importantly, takes aim at a championship run.
How to watch the next Kansas City Current match
The league-leading Current will be back in action on NWSL Decision Day, with Kansas City closing out their 2025 regular-season campaign by hosting the No. 5 San Diego Wave on Sunday, November 2nd.
The time and broadcast details for the 2025 season's Decision Day will drop at a later date at NWSLSoccer.com.
Star striker Temwa Chawinga is nearing yet another trophy, as the 2024 NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner lifted her No. 1 Kansas City Current over No. 4 Gotham FC with her 15th goal of the season on Saturday — taking the lead in the 2025 scoring race.
Chawinga's 51st-minute tally secured the 2-0 victory, as the 2025 Shield-winners became the first-ever NWSL team to reach 20 wins in a single season — and the first to ever snag more than 60 points in a single campaign.
The Malawian international is now just the second player in league history to score at least 15 goals across multiple seasons, joining former NWSL star Sam Kerr's 2017, 2018, and 2019 runs for Sky Blue and Chicago.
With two regular-season matchdays left, the 2025 NWSL Golden Boot race is down to Chawinga and Gotham FC attacker Esther, with the Spain star chasing the Kansas City standout with 13 goals of her own.
Besides the two-goal advantage, Chawinga also currently holds the edge in momentum, with the Current striker scoring in her last four NWSL matches while Esther has been silent on goal since September 13th.
Trailing Chawinga and Esther in this year's Golden Boot race with a still-impressive 10 goals apiece are No. 8 Racing Louisville's Emma Sears and No. 14 Chicago Stars' Ludmila.
Jaedyn Shaw hit the ground running in her Gotham FC debut this weekend, as the NJ/NY club's recent $1.25 million-dollar signing scored against her former club in Friday's 2-0 win over the now-No. 5 San Diego Wave — helping boost the Bats to No. 3 in the 2025 NWSL standings.
"This year has been really difficult," an emotional Shaw said after the match. "I'm so grateful for this team and the opportunities I've gotten this year…. I'm extremely grateful for this moment."
The 20-year-old previously shattered scoring records during her time with San Diego, but struggled this year after her offseason transfer to the North Carolina Courage.
Already finding the back of the net for her new team, Shaw will look to put the past behind her as Gotham extends their climb up the table, having risen from No. 8 to No. 3 behind a four-game unbeaten streak that now includes three straight wins.
Gotham forward Esther González is also excelling, retaking the lead in the 2025 NWSL Golden Boot race by tallying her 13th goal of the season in the last minute of Friday's first half against the Wave.
With the club gaining momentum and the 2025 NWSL Playoffs looming, Gotham is looking to make a run to add a second championship trophy to their 2023 title.
"Even in the most difficult moments, they've stayed united, kept pushing together, and kept working hard. That's been our key," said head coach Juan Carlos Amorós after Friday's match.
A high-stakes coastal clash tops this weekend's NWSL bill, with results directly impacting the increasingly tight league standings as No. 8 Gotham tries to hold off a No. 9 Angel City side sitting just one point outside of postseason positioning.
The pair last met in April, when Gotham shutout ACFC 4-0 at LA's BMO Stadium behind a brace from the NWSL's current Golden Boot leader Esther González.
"That's the key — everyone knows their role, their responsibilities, and they're willing to sacrifice for the team defensively while also bringing their quality in attack," Gotham manager Juan Carlos Amorós said earlier this week.
As they try to rise above the crowded mid-table traffic, both teams have seen positive results in recent weeks — along with challenging levels of upheaval.
Angel City recently lost defender Alanna Kennedy, midfielder Katie Zelem, and star forward Alyssa Thompson to midseason overseas transfers, while Gotham's had little room to breathe after defeating Concacaf W Champions Cup opponent Alianza 2-0 in El Salvador on Tuesday.
"You need to be loyal to your style, cement it, and make sure the players know it," said Amorós. "That's critical when you're playing three games in seven days and traveling almost around the world."
How to watch Gotham vs. Angel City this NWSL weekend
No. 8 Gotham will host No. 9 Angel City this Sunday, kicking off live at 5 PM ET on ESPN.
The No. 1 Kansas City Current have been unstoppable this season, riding a 10-match unbeaten streak into Saturday's game against the No. 9 North Carolina Courage and inching closer to claiming a franchise-first NWSL Shield.
The Current's dominant 12-point advantage over the No. 2 Washington Spirit marks the league's largest top-table margin since the Courage finished 15 points ahead in 2018.
Even more, Kansas City tops the NWSL in goals scored (34) while also registering the fewest goals allowed (10), entering the league's 18th weekend of play with a record-tying five consecutive shutouts.
After coming in fourth in 2024, the Current's defense has continued to improve under manager Vlatko Andonovski, while another MVP-level year from star forward Temwa Chawinga has bolstered Kansas City's offense.
Chawinga currently leads the 2025 NWSL Golden Boot race with 11 goals through 17 games, while sitting in the league's Top 3 for both shots and shots on goal.
"I think because we have such a powerful offense, the defensive things, maybe people don't notice as much," Kansas City forward Michelle Cooper said earlier this week. "I think something absolutely important to us is our entire back line and the commitment to get little touches in, to take [advantage] of angles, and block shots."
How to watch the Kansas City Current this weekend
No. 1 Kansas City will host No. 9 North Carolina — one of just two teams to defeat the Current all season — at 7:30 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on ION.
A top-table battle headlines the NWSL this weekend, as the No. 1 Kansas City Current hosts the No. 2 Orlando Pride for a possible postseason rehearsal on Saturday.
Led by Golden Boot frontrunner Temwa Chawinga, the Current enter the weekend with a full 12-point lead over the rest of the league, as reigning NWSL Shield and Championship winners Orlando push to make a statement.
"We are resilient. That is part of our identity. We never give up and we are always playing to win, and we always believe in ourselves," Pride defender Kylie Nadaner said following last Saturday's 1-1 draw with Racing Louisville.
More than just a clash between the top two teams in the NWSL standings, history shows very little love lost between these perennial heavy-hitters.
Last season, Orlando snapped KC's NWSL-record 17-game unbeaten streak on the Current's home turf, then took Kansas City down again in the pair's 2024 semifinal playoff match.
"We will remember the way they acted after the cameras were off," Current forward Michelle Cooper posted to social media after their July 2024 loss.
Kansas City has already issued some regular-season revenge on their way up the table this year, defeating the Pride 1-0 back in May.
How to watch Kansas City vs. Orlando this NWSL weekend
The No. 1 Current will kick off against the No. 2 Pride at 4 PM ET on Saturday, with live coverage airing on CBS.
World No. 10 France opened their 2025 Euro campaign with a bang on Saturday, beating defending champs No. 5 England 2-1 to better their chances of escaping a tough group stage draw.
Currently sitting atop Group D — the notorious "Group of Death" that includes France and England — are the No. 11 Netherlands, who opened their European Championship tournament run with a 3-0 win over Euro debutants No. 30 Wales.
Notably, star forward Vivianne Miedema made history in the victory, becoming the first-ever Dutch player to score 100 international goals with her record-setting first-half strike on Saturday.
Also hitting the ground running in their first group-stage match were 2023 World Cup champions and world No. 2 Spain, who routed No. 22 Portugal 5-0 on Thursday — La Roja's biggest Euro victory to date.
Gotham FC star Esther González notched a brace in that opener before tallying another goal in Spain's 6-2 win over No. 20 Belgium on Monday — tying the NWSL scoring leader with teammate Alexia Putellas atop the early 2025 Euro Golden Boot race.
Reigning atop Group B, Spain is now guaranteed a spot in the tournament knockouts, joining Group A's No. 16 Norway — the first team to advance from group play.
Norway handed No. 26 Finland a 2-1 defeat in their second match on Sunday, mere hours before host nation No. 23 Switzerland's 2-0 win both eliminated No. 14 Iceland and punched the Norwegians' quarterfinals ticket.
How to watch the 2025 Euro group stage action
The second-match cycle of the 2025 Euro group stage continues on Tuesday before wrapping up on Wednesday.
England's 12 PM ET Wednesday game vs. the Netherlands is already stealing the midweek spotlight, as the Lionesses will need a result against the Dutch to realistically keep their back-to-back title hopes alive.
Live coverage of 2025 Euro matches airs across Fox Sports platforms.
The 2025 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) kicks off late next week, as NWSL stars depart their clubs to join their national teams in the fight for continental glory.
Running from July 5th through the 26th, 12 teams from across Africa will feature at this year's tournament in Morocco, with defending champions South Africa looking to repeat.
One of the teams hoping to upend the Banyana Banyana's back-to-back prospects are Zambia's Copper Queens, captained by Orlando Pride striker and perennial MVP candidate Barbra Banda. The current NWSL leader in both shots and shots on target has eight goals in her club season so far, good for a second-place tie in the league's Golden Boot race.
Joining Banda on a Zambia side rich with attacking talent are Bay FC striker Rachael Kundananji and a pair of Banda's Pride teammates, midfielders Grace Chanda and Prisca Chilufya.
Other NWSL standouts making the trip include Ghana forwards Stella Nyamekye (Gotham FC) and Princess Marfo (Bay FC), as well as Nigeria striker Asisat Oshoala (Bay FC) and defender Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash).
Notably, the nine-time WAFCON champs opted to omit Washington Spirit forward Gift Monday from the Super Falcons' roster — a particularly surprising move considering Nigeria chose Oshoala, who has yet to record a goal or assist in 2025 NWSL play, and uncapped UConn junior forward Chioma Okafor over Monday and her red-hot form.
Calling it "a tough pill to swallow," Monday wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday that she harbors "no grudges, no resentment."
"I remain fully committed to cheering my country from home," Monday said, adding "To the incredible women who made the squad, go out there and make history."
"You carry the hopes of millions — including mine."
The Kansas City Current continues to hold court atop the NWSL standings, earning their fifth straight win after a brief two-game skid by defeating No. 7 Racing Louisville 4-2 on Saturday.
The Current pounced early, going up 3-0 ahead of the match's 20-minute mark before sealing the win with a second-half stoppage-time goal from star striker Temwa Chawinga.
KC is currently winning the race to stay ahead of 2024 Shield-winner and champions Orlando, who won their third straight match after a second-half dagger by Barbra Banda lifted the No. 2 Pride over No. 9 Bay FC 1-0 on Friday.
Elsewhere, the San Diego Wave regained their grip on third place with Friday's 3-2 victory over the No. 12 Houston Dash, while the No. 5 Portland Thorns began to encroach on Washington's fourth-place standing with a 2-0 win over the Spirit on Sunday.
The top four teams weren't the only ones moving this weekend, as Gotham earned their first regular-season points since early May with Friday's 3-0 win over the last-place Utah Royals — despite two red card offenses limiting their late-game on-field roster to nine.
Along with boosting the Bats back above the playoff line into eighth place, the victory saw NY/NJ forward Esther pull ahead of Chawinga and Banda in the 2025 Golden Boot race, with her two-goal showing putting the Spanish national at nine goals on the season.
While no team is immune to the midseason blues, this weekend's widening eight-point gap between first and fourth place on the table is separating the contenders from the pretenders.
The NWSL's Kansas City Current officially placed defender Alana Cook on the Season Ending Injury list on Thursday, after the center back tore her left ACL, MCL, and meniscus in last Friday's 1-0 win over Orlando.
Since joining the Current in a 2024 midseason trade from Seattle, the 28-year-old starter has anchored the backline of her new team to the tune of 10 shutouts in 19 matches.
The injury is also a setback to Cook's USWNT return, with the defender logging her 30th cap and first international minutes since October 2023 just last month.
"Alana has made a big impact for our club on and off the pitch in a short period of time, and our hearts absolutely break for her," said Kansas City head coach and Cook's former USWNT boss Vlatko Andonovski in a club statement.
"Throughout her career, Alana has proven to be determined, resilient, and disciplined with an optimistic spirit," he continued. "We are confident she will carry those same attributes into her recovery process. The team will stand by her every step of the way, and we eagerly await the day she is able to join us on the pitch again."
Kansas City attack also suffers injury losses
Cook's season-ending knock wasn't the only blow to the NWSL-leading Current, as attacking midfielder Debinha and striker Temwa Chawinga also exited Friday's pitch with injuries. With five goals each, both are currently in a four-way tie for second in the Golden Boot race.
Andonovski told the media on Wednesday that while 2024 MVP Chawinga is still undergoing evaluation, Debinha "is not probably going to be back until after the summer."
With both being considered 2025 MVP frontrunners, the losses may leave fans wondering how long Kansas City can maintain their spot atop the league.