What we learned from KC Current’s midweek friendly against Mexican club CF Monterrey

The Kansas City Current handled business against CF Monterrey, beating the women’s pro soccer team from Mexico 1-0 Wednesday in their first international friendly.

Almost the entire team saw the field over the course of the night, with various players putting in shifts of 30, 45, 60 and 90 minutes. Goalkeeper Cassie Miller and midfielder Rylan Childers were the only two KC players who played the full match.

The 1-0 score suggests it was a close match, but the Current controlled the game more often than not. The home side easily could’ve scored a few goals, and most of Monterrey’s forays into the attacking half of the pitch did little to threaten Miller.

But despite a number of chances through the first 50-plus minutes, the Current couldn’t find the back of the net. They were plagued by poor finishing and timely defending from the Mexican side.

Ultimately, Chardonnay Curran put KC on the board with a tap-in goal in the 57th minute. The Current faced a few Monterrey chances late, but the defense came through to finish off the 1-0 win.

Because it was a friendly, Wednesday’s match had no effect on the NWSL standings; the Current were officially eliminated from the playoffs on Monday night, when the Orlando Pride won in Los Angeles.

Still, with a couple of games left, the players who received opportunities on Wednesday made the most of them.

Here are four takeaways from the action...

Current rookies have grown in limited time

Childers, a Grain Valley native who starred at both UMKC and the University of Kansas, was a fourth-round draft pick by the Current. Her preseason play earned her a pro contract, but the minutes haven’t been there in a crowded midfield.

Well, she went all 90 minutes Wednesday and looked excellent in her role (more on that later).

“I think today showed that she has adapted very well, and she’s a very smart player,” Current interim coach Caroline Sjöblom said.

Additionally, when Alexa Spaanstra entered the game, her work ethic and relentless effort to make runs were rewarded with plenty of time on the ball.

In those moments, you saw her confidence and flair — traits that led to a spot on the youth national team and a first-round NWSL draft selection.

“It’s just fantastic to see her tonight,” Sjöblom said, “How she combines and how she opens up space for other teammates as well.”

Trying a different system

The Current have played a variety of formations over the last couple of seasons. Since Sjöblom became the interim coach, the team has mostly operated in a 4-2-3-1 — four at the back, two holding midfielders, an attacking midfielder, two wingers and a striker.

On Wednesday, the Current played Alex Loera — who was later replaced by Jenna Winebrenner — as a single defensive midfielder.

That meant Childers and Lo LaBonta had more attacking responsibilities and played as box-to-box midfielders. Chardonnay Curran also filled a box-to-box role and ended up scoring.

“When a team defends with two central forwards, we think it’s very useful to have Alex in between them,” Sjöblom said. “We just wanted to build with true center-backs and one holding six (defensive midfielder) against the two forwards.”

With Childers sitting back to help the defense, the other midfielders were free to venture forward. That led to Curran’s goal — the only score of the night.

Too many missed chances

Whether it was because it was a friendly (and the Current were treating it as such) or a sign of greater struggles, the Current wasted several promising opportunities in front of the net.

The defense, of course, played a role, but the Current had 12 shots, most from inside the box. Only four tested the goalkeeper.

Throughout the NWSL regular season, the Current often missed opportunities in front of goal that eventually cost them results. They’ve also found themselves in situations where they haven’t scored and then have had to press for late goals — leading to a late winner for the other team.

That was indeed the case on Saturday, when the Current gave up a 91st minute winner to the Washington Spirit.

Tonight, though, they escaped the consequences of the missed chances and ended up on the right side of the scoreline.

But the margin for error in NWSL play has certainly proven to be much more narrow — and it’s something the club will need to address next year.

Is an NWSL, LIGA MX ‘Leagues Cup’ on the horizon?

This summer, Major League Soccer and Liga MX created their first full-scale Leagues Cup. It was a definite success from MLS’ standpoint, with multiple teams experiencing an entirely different crowd in their stadium than normal.

The on-field product was wildly unpredictable and entertaining as well.

With the NWSL deciding to do away with the Challenge Cup — KC reached this year’s semis — and turn it into a preseason one-off trophy match, the Current are losing three home games as part of the season-ticket package.

Managers from both teams expressed multiple times throughout the week that a tournament like the Leagues Cup for NWSL and Liga MX Femenil would be a great way to continue to grow the game.

“I think it’s the future of this league,” Sjöblom said. “I would like to see more collaboration with Mexico and maybe even from South America.”

The Current return to action on Saturday for the final home match at Children’s Mercy Park before opening their brand new stadium in the Berkley Riverfront in the 2024 season.