KC Current advance to NWSL championship game with 2-1 win over Gotham FC in semifinal

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One year after Gotham FC upset a Kansas City Current team in the NWSL playoffs after finishing the regular season with the best record, first-year coach Chris Armas' squad returned the favor with a 2-1 win Sunday afternoon at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island, New York.

Despite a venue change and travel issues caused by the FAA ground stop on Friday, the Current shrugged off all the distractions and rode Haley Hopkins' 89th-minute winner into a date with the Washington Spirit in the NWSL Championship Game.

The Current's predecessors, FC Kansas City, won NWSL titles in 2014 and 2015 before the franchise relocated.

Chris and Angie Long, along with Patrick and Brittny Mahomes, founded a new NWSL club in Kansas City in December 2020.

The Current reached the NWSL final in their second season, losing to the Portland Thorns FC 2-1 in front of a then-record TV audience.

But the club struggled to reclaim that success, missing the playoffs before bowing out in the semifinals and quarterfinals during the last two seasons.

Now, the Current will return to Audi Field in Washington, D.C., site of their 2022 NWSL Championship Game loss, with the chance to win it all for the first time.

The championship game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 21, in Washington, D.C.