Match Preview: Angel City at Kansas City Current | 3.30.24

Saturday, March 30, at 12:30 p.m. Pacific, Angel City is on the road for the second week in a row against the Kansas City Current. The match will be broadcast in the US on ESPN, with an English-language radio broadcast on iHeart.

Matchup

Last week, Angel City drew 1–1 on the road in Orlando. That match saw forward Claire Emslie put ACFC up 1–0 on a 53rd minute penalty kick awarded from a foul drawn by midfielder Meggie Dougherty Howard. The visitors held onto the lead until the 88th minute, when Pride midfielder Marta volleyed home a corner kick for the equalizer.

In their last match, Kansas City beat San Diego on the road 2–1, after going down a goal in the 17th minute. Current defender Izzy Rodriguez equalized in the 44th minute, with midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta notching the go-ahead goal in the 71st.

Heading into Week 3, Angel City has a 0–1–1 (W–L–D) record. Kansas City is 2–0–0, sitting behind Chicago in the standings based on goal differential.

Angel City are 3–0–1 all-time against Kansas City, having won both games against the Current in 2023.

Scouting Report

Kansas City entered 2024 on the heels of a disappointing 2023 season that saw them finish in 11th place with an 8–2–12 record—a dramatic drop-off from the season before, when they made it to the NWSL Championship, losing 2–0 to Portland.

The club made some changes in the offseason, including bringing in former USWNT Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski as manager. Andonovski has deep roots in Kansas City, having played for the Kansas City Comets, an indoor team, and later beginning his coaching career at the same club.

The North Macedonia native has a decorated history in the NWSL, having led FC Kansas City—the original iteration of an NWSL franchise in the city—to three straight playoff appearances, including the 2014 and 2015 Championships. He also coached the Seattle Reign to two straight playoff berths, in 2018 and 2019.

On the field, the Current’s additions include two international forwards, the Brazilian Bia Zaneratto and the Malawian Temwa Chawinga. Zaneratto is a veteran for Brazil, having represented her country in four straight World Cups, and scoring 38 goals in 111 appearances.

Chawinga may be less familiar to American audiences, but the 25-year-old captains Malawi and has been a standout for her previous club teams— Kvarnsvedens IK in Sweden and Wuhan Jianghan in China—scoring at a rate of nearly a goal per game for each team over six seasons as a pro, and having won the Chinese Women’s Super League the last four years in a row.

Goals Are Coming

Angel City’s 0–1–1 record—and their single goal to date—doesn’t fully reflect the quality the team has put forth on the field.

The team leads the league in shots on target, with 15, and sits in third place for total shots, with 33. They also outperformed their opponents in terms of chance creation in both of their first two matches, with 11 chances created in both games, compared with 10 by Orlando in Week 2 and just one for Bay FC in Week 1. Finally, they recorded an xG (expected goals—a measure of shot quality) of 1.83 and 1.75, respectively, in their first two games.

On the forward line, one standout player for ACFC has been Scottish international Claire Emslie. The winger, who has been a crucial component of the team’s buildup since joining it in mid-2022, currently leads the league in successful crosses, with nine, and has the second-most chances created leaguewide, with eight.