Seattle Reign are back at home on Friday evening, hosting the Kansas City Current, a team that currently sits at the top of the NWSL table after six matches. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. PT and will stream on NWSL+, Paramount+, and CBS Sports Golazo.
The game also marks the first of 11 matches that will air on Fox 13+ and the Fox Local app, as part of a new broadcast deal announced this week.
Steve Voght
The Reign have a tough task ahead of them, as the Current lead the league in goals scored, clean sheets, and non-penalty expected goals. They've also conceded the fewest goals and have the lowest expected goals against total. But the Reign have an advantage: they'll be playing in front of their home fans at Lumen Field and boast a young but talented squad that continues to grow a little every match.
Head-to-Head
- The Reign are 5-5-1 all-time against the Current.
- That includes a 3-1-1 record at home.
- The Reign have scored 12 goals while conceding 12 in their 11 matches against Kansas City.
2025 record
- The Reign are 2-2-2 (8 points, 7th place), while the Kansas City Current are 5-1-0 (15 points, 1st place).
- The Reign have scored six goals and conceded six, while the Current have scored 14 and conceded four.
- The Reign are 1-1-1 at home while the Current are 2-1-0 on the road.
Recent results
- The Current experienced their first loss last week, falling 3-2 to the North Carolina Courage on the road.
- The Reign traveled to Bay FC last weekend and drew 1-1.
Offseason moves
- After a strong 2024 season, pretty much all of the Current's starting lineup returned, with the exception of their starting goalkeeper.
- They said goodbye to starter Almuth Schult and backup goalkeeper AD Franch and waved hello to Brazilian goalkeeper Lorena, who has four clean sheets this season, and former Reign backup Laurel Ivory.
- KC also parted ways with some rotational players, including forward Mallory Weber and centerback Stine Ballisager.
- The Current added veteran midfielder Rocky Rodriguez and former Courage forward Haley Hopkins, along with some young talent.
KC players to watch
Izzy Rodriguez: The KC left back might be one of the most under-appreciated players in the league. In addition to being solid on the defensive end, she's a real threat in the attack, whipping in dangerous crosses with her left foot. Rodriguez has already notched two assists – from a cross and a corner kick – and sits in the 94th percentile for shot-creating actions among full backs.
Temwa Chawinga: The reigning NWSL MVP is questionable for Friday night's match but traveled with the team to Seattle. Anyone who watched Chawinga play last year knows that she's aggressive on the defensive end, is a great hold-up player, and has the speed to get in behind defenses. She broke the single-season scoring record in 2024 with 20 goals and scored against every team last year. Chawinga can also unleash a powerful shot that is hard to defend and save. She's a problem and will give the Reign a lot to worry about if she plays.
Vlatko says Temwa traveled with the team to Seattle and is available for selection. KC Current set to take on Seattle Reign tomorrow night. #KCBaby
— Daniel Sperry (@danielsperrykc.bsky.social) 2025-05-01T22:08:00.071Z
The entire midfield: Lo LaBonta, Vanessa DiBernardo, and Claire Hutton combine to make the Current one of the toughest teams to break down and defend. The 19-year-old defensive midfielder Hutton wins her duels in the midfield and is smooth on the ball, while 32-year-old LaBonta knows where to pop up at all times and is dangerous from the penalty spot. DiBernardo, 32, continues to be one of the most consistent attacking midfielders in the league. The Reign are going to have to be really ruthless in the midfield. Fortunately, Angharad James-Turner and Sam Meza have been forming a strong partnership these last few matches.
What to watch
Pressure, pressure, pressure: Kansas City currently sits second in the league in high turnovers and interceptions, just ahead of the Reign, and they are first in possession won in the midfield. They like to swarm opponents in the middle of the pitch and quickly find their speedy attackers on the wings.
Transition, transition, transition: As you can see from their team profile above, courtesy of McLach App, the Current don't necessarily want to have possession. They are comfortable with their organized defense and catching teams on the break in transition. Kansas City averages 43.5% of possession, according to FotMob. As some of the clips below highlight, they are really, really good in transitional moments. They get the ball and get forward as fast as possible.
Some of Kansas City's transitional attacks this year
"They're very good at what they do," midfielder Angharad James-Turned told reporters ahead of the match. "They're a team that love to play on the transition, and that's something that we're focusing on this week – that we're really tight and our defensive shape is what it needs to be to prevent the transitions from happening."
Similar to how they approached the Orlando Pride, the Reign might opt to let the Current have more of the ball and potentially play with wingbacks to try to stop the Current in the midfield. Perhaps, the more speedy Reign frontline can also give Kansas City a taste of their own medicine in transition.
Contain, contain, contain: Three players have scored three goals already for the Current (Lo LaBonta, Debinha, and Temwa Chawinga), seven different players have scored, and five different players have earned one or more assist. You simply cannot fall asleep for a second against them because they have threats in all spots on the field who can punish you.
That's something the Reign discovered last year when they came out of halftime tied 2-2 and then gave up two goals right away. The Reign eventually lost 5-2, despite arguably being the better team in the first half. Laura Harvey is reflecting on that match, combined with the come-from-behind win the Courage secured last week against Kansas City, as they head into Friday's match.
"I think that the key is that you've got to stay in the game. If anyone can learn anything from the North Carolina game, it's stay in it, keep the score as close as possible, and you'll always have a chance. We say that all the time, and I think that last week's showing from North Carolina was exactly that."
"We're also focusing on ourselves," James-Turner noted, pointing to their home-field advantage. "We're in a good place right now. I think coming to Lumen Field too, we've got the crowd behind us, it's our home, and we're not going to give anything up easily."
Projected lineup
Injury / Availability Report
Seattle Reign
OUT: Ryanne Brown (SEI – knee), Jess Fishlock (leg), Veronica Latsko (SEI – lower leg), Nérilia Mondesir (leg)
KC Current
OUT: Michelle Cooper (lower leg), Kristen Hamilton (hip), Alex Pfeiffer (SEI – knee), Nichelle Prince (thigh), Gabrielle Robinson (SEI – knee), Regan Steigleder (lower leg)
QUESTIONABLE: Temwa Chawinga (hip)
How to Watch
The Reign will face the Kansas City Current on Friday, May 2, at 7:30 p.m. PT. The home match at Lumen Field will stream on NWSL+, Paramount+ and CBS Golazo Network for all fans in the U.S. It will also air on Fox 13+ and the Fox Local app in the Greater Seattle region.
