KANSAS CITY (July 17, 2026)\u00a0\u2014 The Kansas City Current (8-6-1, 25 pts., 5th place) played to a 2-2 draw against San Diego Wave\u00a0FC (9-2-5, 29 pts., 1st place) Friday night at CPKC Stadium. After the visitors took an early lead, midfielder Croix Bethune leveled the contest in the 52nd minute with a brilliant volley on an assist from defender Laney Rouse. Nine minutes later, Bethune set up a breakaway opportunity that forward Temwa Chawinga buried, giving Kansas City a 2-1 advantage. However, the visitors equalized in the late stages to secure a draw.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Defender Izzy Rodriguez made her 100th regular season appearance to become the 42nd player in NWSL history to hit that mark for the same club, and fellow defender Gabrielle Robinson made her 50th regular season appearance. Midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo returned to the pitch at CPKC Stadium as a second-half substitute, her first appearance at home in 393 days.\u00a0
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\u201cWhen you play a good team like San Diego, and they’re good on the road, you take the first punch and then it’s an uphill battle,\u201d said head coach Chris Armas. \u201cWhat we wanted to do at halftime was ramp things up even more…the second half really looked and felt more like us, where we can overwhelm teams and force mistakes. We thought the second half was excellent and a good response against a good team.”<\/p>\n
San Diego opened the scoring with a quick-strike goal in the sixth minute capped by a sliding finish from Wave forward Trinity Byars. From there,\u00a0the Current took a foothold and generated several threatening scoring opportunities as the half progressed.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the 27th minute, I. Rodriguez fizzed a dangerous ball across the penalty area from the left wing, which ultimately evaded the run of multiple Current players. Twelve minutes later, Debinha curled a ball to the back post that met the head of forward Haley Hopkins before the effort rolled just wide. Bethune conjured up a moment of individual brilliance seconds later following a forced turnover by the Current in the attacking third. After Hopkins held up the ball near the top of the 18-yard box, she squared up behind her for an overlapping Bethune. Moments later, Bethune evaded a Wave defender with a quick deke then fired a strike that hit the crossbar, as San Diego held its one-goal advantage as the halftime whistle sounded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kansas City\u2019s positive momentum continued as the second half began. In the 52nd minute, high pressure from Hopkins near the endline led to Rouse curling in a cross from the right wing. Rouse\u2019s pass fell perfectly to Bethune near the top of the penalty area, and she plucked the ball out of midair and fired a low volley that found the bottom right corner of the goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The goal marked Bethune\u2019s third of the season and 10th of her regular season career while Rouse notched the first assist of her professional career.<\/p>\n
Chawinga put the Current ahead nine minutes later. Midfielder Rocky Rodr\u00edguez, a second-half substitute, picked off an errant Wave pass near midfield and steered the ball ahead for Bethune. Bethune pushed forward, then sent the ball behind the San Diego back line for Chawinga who broke free from the defense. Chawinga took a touch then hammered a left-footed strike under the outstretched arms of San Diego goalkeeper Luisa Agudelo that nestled perfectly in the bottom right corner of the goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chawinga\u2019s goal was her ninth of the season, and the forward now ranks second in the Golden Boot race with nine goals and two assists. It also marked Chawinga\u2019s 44th career regular season goal. Bethune picked up her sixth assist of the season, tied for most in the NWSL. Bethune recorded a goal and an assist in the same match for the third time in her career, and second time this season.<\/p>\n
The Wave pressed for an equalizer in the late stages of the contest and found a second goal after Byars slid home to tap in a loose ball at the back post in the 90th minute. In the final moments of second-half stoppage time, Current goalkeeper Marisa Jordan made a diving save to deny a close-range effort from Wave midfielder Kimmi Ascanio. The save marked the final action as the match ended in a 2-2 draw.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The result extended Kansas City’s ongoing unbeaten streak at CPKC Stadium to 24 matches, the longest run in NWSL history. The streak began Sept. 7, 2024, and the Current has posted a 20-0-4 record across that timeframe.<\/p>\n
The Current hits the road next weekend to round out the regular season series against Boston Legacy FC on Saturday, July 25, at 4 p.m. CT (5 p.m. ET) at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I. The match will broadcast nationally on ION and The Spot \u2013 Kansas City 38 will air the match locally with a pregame show, KC Current Matchday, beginning at 3:30 p.m. CT. Fans in Kansas City can listen to the match over the air on 90.9 The Bridge, and an audio feed of the match will be available in English, Spanish and Portuguese on the KC Current App.\u00a0<\/p>\n