There's no clearer definition of the NWSL than two playoff line-hoovering teams putting on a show as if the postseason has already started. Kansas City Current sent a message on Saturday when they defeated Denver Summit, 4-1, at home in CPKC Stadium. Haley Hopkins scored a hat trick, and Temwa Chawinga showed why she's the most prolific game-changing player in the world.
The Current entered the day clinging to the playoff line in eighth place with 38 points, while Denver lurked just three points back in tenth place and hot off a five-game unbeaten streak. In the end, it was Kansas City's attack showing what they were made of. Even with league regular-season assist record co-holder Croix Bethune on the sidelines, the Current bettered their playoff chances and made Denver's path that much harder.
What did we learn from two teams clawing at the playoff line: The 2025 NWSL Shield winners were sitting outside of playoff position before they made a statement at home against Denver. It didn't have the best start, as the Current had to withstand waves of pressure from the Summit and eventually conceded an opening goal to Lindsey Heaps. But there's nothing quite like having the world's most dangerous player on the pitch to turn things around.
Temwa Chawinga's efforts to take over matches for Kansas City have become a staple of her game and the club. Is it dangerous to be overly reliant on one player? Are we also watching one of the most prolific players in the world as women's soccer continues to write the opening chapter of its modern era?
It should be illegal to simplify or narrow Chawinga's ability to just simply being quick or fast in transition. It's her ability to read the game, time her runs, outwit the defenders around her, and be so damn good that she constantly instills doubts and fear in her opposition that even the softest challenges in the box lead to a quick penalty. When she won a penalty for the Current around the half-hour mark, it changed the trajectory of the game completely for the Current.
It didn't matter that Debinha wasn't able to convert the penalty. It shook up the team and woke them up with an alarm that rang out, reminding them that this is a playoff push game. Just minutes later, Chawinga's alternate path into the box alongside Haley Hopkins forced Denver Summit to stumble into the box, and no matter where Michelle Cooper's cross landed, it was getting across the goal line -- and it did, thanks to Hopkins.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
