mollyfamwatThe Red Stars host the Kansas City expansion team in a game that both teams should win. The game was originally scheduled for last night, but was postponed later in the evening due to inclement weather.
I spoke with Blue Covenant’s Ted Little via email about the club’s expansion trajectory, the first game in the Challenge Cup and the upcoming game against Chicago.
Kansas City has a proud history in women’s soccer, but it has had its ups and downs in recent years. Kansas City FC was formed in 2012 along with the brand new NWSL in terms of organization. The team has had success on the field, winning the NWSL championship in 2014 and 2015.
However, ownership group scandals combined with mismanagement and lack of another led to the group’s dissolution and move to Utah in 2017.
Scandal splashed off the club when stories of Utah owner Dell Loy Hansen’s blatantly racist behavior became known when the team refused to play because of the shooting of Jacob Blake. At first, everything was happy and rosy… Not much has been said about the new Utah Royals team, … turns out the owner was actually much worse, and so the Utah Royals were put up for sale.
Resistance test for red stars
New ownership and new money (especially from Patrick Mahomes) have brought the team back to Kansas City, technically as an expansion team, with an exciting and talented roster. Amy Rodriguez will need to score, and new players like Chloe Logarzo and Marianne Larroquette will need to step up….. Add a few more talents, like Victoria Pickett, who already looks like a hidden gem, and you have a quality team…..
KC has already lost the 9th. April: 2-1 loss against the Portland Thorns, leaving the Red Stars with eleven days between games that they could not enjoy. A small advantage for Kansas City, Little said of the halftime show, It allowed some injured players to recover and the Legionnaires to return.
Olympian USA returns
The Red Stars will be joined by Olympians Tierna Davidson, Julie Ertz and Alyssa Naeher, who have all returned from international duty. Davidson and Ertz will likely be back against Kansas City as the Red Stars’ main central partners.
Kristen Edmonds is expected to be the only missing player for Kansas City, due to the red card she received against Portland.
The Red Stars will want to end their goal-scoring drought, as they haven’t scored yet. Although they outscored their opponents 22-11 in the first two games, they scored 1.8 xG and only 0.6 xGA.
The Red Stars will be looking for a spark as they need to win this match to still have a chance of qualifying for the NWSL Challenge Cup Final.
Expected and estimated composition:
Kansas City: Smith; Maemona, Del Fava, Corsi, Bowen; Pickett, Scott, LaBonta, Larroquette, Rodriguez; Vasconcelos.
Red stars: Neyer; Wright, Davidson, Ertz, Gorden; Colaprico, Killion; Bryan, DiBernardo, Watt; Johnson.
Ted: 2-1 Red Stars
Justin: 1-1
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mollyfamwat