KC Current get all the scoring they need from Michelle Cooper at Portland Thorns
The Kansas City Current have a winning streak.
Michelle Cooper’s first-half penalty kick stood the course for the remainder of Saturday’s soccer match as the Current pulled off a 1-0 road victory against the Portland Thorns at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon.
With the win and positive results Saturday for both Sporting KC and the Kansas City Royals, July 1, 2023, is the first day this year that all three teams claimed victories.
The win was also the Current’s first ever against the Thorns, to whom they lost in last year’s National Women’s Soccer League title game.
The back-to-back league wins aren’t a first for the Current (5-0-9) this year. But to remain in the NWSL playoff conversation — KC is just five points away from a postseason berth right now — they must find a way to keep stringing victories together.
Saturday night’s match was cathartic. It wasn’t the most clinical performance. The Current didn’t look like a team out to possess the ball and attack. But they were gritty defensively and took advantage of their counter-attacking opportunities.
When the final whistle blew, KC’s Kristen Hamilton said she felt an “overwhelming sense of pride.”
“It takes everybody, starting with scout, with putting together a good game plan, and us executing it,” Hamilton said. “I’m really just proud of the group for the effort, the grit, the energy and the fight to keep a really good Thorns side off of the board.”
The Current scored just after the half-hour mark. Current rookie Alexa Spaanstra was taken down in the box, and teammate Cece Kizer handed the ball to the Current’s other rookie and first-round draft pick, Michelle Cooper.
Cooper made the shot after receiving some advice from Kizer as she took the ball: “Blast it.”
“I just wanted to make sure that I got the goal in the net for us because that (goal) was super important,” Cooper said. “And those are great opportunities. I wouldn’t have gotten that without Alexa driving in the box and taking that player on 1v1.”
Cooper has been a mainstay in the Current’s lineup for most of the season, and her production has started to tick upward. Spaanstra hasn’t seen much of the field of late but certainly embraced the opportunity created by the absence of Debinha, who’s playing in the World Cup with her native Brazil.
Interim Current head coach Caroline Sjöblom said she had a conversation with Spaanstra before the game, reminding her how sharp she’d need to be against the Thorns’ outside backs.
“The way Alexa handled today not only was amazing for being a young player, during her first season after college coming into this league, but (also for) sitting on the bench for a long time, just watching and learning,” Sjöblom said. “I’m very proud of her for her performance today.”
For the next hour of the match, the Current hung on and defended the 1-0 lead. KC goalkeeper Cassie Miller made nine saves to keep the clean sheet, staying calm despite night-long chaos in the box.
“She’s very good at communicating with the defenders all the time,” Sjöblom said. “She solves a lot with good communication with other players.”
The Current play next at Racing Louisville Friday night, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. Their next home match is July 22.
