“Last year, I feel like collectively we couldn’t really identify what our identity was, as a team, and what style we wanted to play,” Kansas City Current forward Alexa Spaanstra explained during a preseason press conference in late February, “So I think this year the coaches being really transparent in what they are looking for has really helped all of us know what we need to execute on the field.”
While some teams have been very tight-lipped about their plans for the upcoming season, others have shared more willingly what changes they’re making, how they plan to improve upon last season, and what they’re looking forward to trying out on the field. Kansas City is one of those teams, as Spaanstra spoke to the difference she’s experiencing coming out of a disappointing 2023 season, where twelve losses landed the team in 11th overall on a 12-team table. “It’s a very aggressive mentality, we are high-pressing a lot, we are doing a lot of running which I think suits a lot of our individual needs and strengths on the team, so it’s super exciting to see that we are going to be more on the front foot and more aggressive in comparison to last year.”
Defender Gabby Robinson echoed Spaanstra’s sentiment, “This year I feel it’s been very clear, like this is how we’re going to play, this is how we’re going to do things, obviously defensively it is a lot more aggressive, which is exciting like we get to really press. So that’s really exciting for us because obviously, we want to win the ball as high on the field as we can… I like that change from last year.”
Spaanstra and Robinson made it clear: they know a lot of teams are transitioning to possession-based play. Kansas City is not one of those teams, and that’s perfectly fine with them.
The teammates shared that having a feel for how things operate and what to expect from a professional season in the NWSL brings more confidence, but with a new style and coaching staff, there’s a lot of “new” around the team.
“I feel like we’re still learning, it’s the same but it’s different,” Robinson says when asked how she feels starting preseason with a year as a professional under her belt, now navigating the style and expectations of new management, “Yes we have all of this experience that we had last year and we’re just building upon that, but also with like, new staff, it is a little bit different with how he runs things, with how practices are run, all that kinda stuff.”
Still, both players emphasize that Andonovski has put tremendous focus on communicating details and expectations. That aforementioned transparency is clearly valued.
The New Boss in KC
It’s new KC Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s eighth season in the NWSL, returning to the league following an underwhelming four years with the United States Women’s National Team. When asked how he would assess the state of the team early in preseason, Andonovski was not shy about the impression players were making, complimenting the intensity, work ethic, and strong mindset of the team.
“Sometimes when you’re coming off of a season the way these players have, and myself as well, you don’t know what the output will be at the beginning of the preseason,” Andonovski confessed, “but I think the mindset of the players in this preseason so far has been tremendous and they already seem like they’re on a mission.”
That’s great news for Kansas City fans who remember how in his first three seasons with FC Kansas City, Andonovski coached the team to back-to-back-to-back playoff appearances. In his second and third seasons with FCKC, they won back-to-back NWSL Championships. The second NWSL team to have a star grace their crest. The first to do it twice.
The team did not appear in the 2016 or 2017 post-season, and when FCKC ceased operations, Andonovski took over for Laura Harvey at Seattle Reign FC.
Andonovski reshaped Seattle, bringing them back to the NWSL Playoffs in 2018 after a third-place regular season finish. The Reign would repeat with a semifinal loss in 2019 after a fourth-place regular season finish, and Andonovski would be named 2019 NWSL Coach of the Year.
In 2024, Andonovski is back in KC, bringing in international talent and (literal) youth.
Before the end of 2023, the team had signed forward Alex Pfeiffer and midfielder Claire Hutton via the NWSL Under-18 Entry Mechanism to three-year contracts. The first U18 signings for Kansas City, both have experience training and competing within the United States Youth National Team system.
Forwards Temwa Chawinga and Bia Zaneratto join the Current with great success on the international stage as proven goal scorers for Malawi and Brazil, respectively. Better yet, the pair are also former teammates, who found success winning the 2020 Chinese Women’s Super League with Wuhan Jianghan University.
Midfielder Bayley Feist is another new face in Kansas City, signing with the team as a free agent. The 2021 NWSL Champion shared that she approached free agency open to exploring her options, and Kansas City was a place where she felt wanted and believed in what they were doing. And then there’s forward and Olympic Gold Medalist Nichelle Prince, who NWSL fans are familiar with from her past seven seasons with the Houston Dash.
It’s easy to look at KC with incredulity.
After all, last year’s overhaul didn’t yield the results the team had hoped for, it was far from Andonovski’s best year professionally, and 2023 signee Hanna Glas has yet to make an appearance for the club, remaining on the season-ending injury list since she arrived in the heartland.
No amount of photos in front of a new stadium can change that reality.
But beyond the photo ops, behind the scenes, is a team that is focused. Kansas City has something to prove and so does Andonovski. They have 26 opportunities to make a statement this season, and it all begins with the opening of CPKC Stadium to kick off the 2024 NWSL season on Saturday, March 16 against the Portland Thorns.
It may still be weeks away, but from the sound of things in KC, the Current will be ready.