Game: Kansas City Current vs. San Diego Wave

Where: Children’s Mercy Park

When: Sunday, May 14, 2023

Time: 3:00 p.m. PST

TV: Paramount+

The San Diego Wave will play the second of their three consecutive road games this Sunday, May 14, as the Wave travels to Children’s Mercy Park to face the Kansas City Current. Casey Stoney’s team is coming off back-to-back 3-1 losses as the team looks to find the rhythm it had going at the start of the season.

The Southern California team is coming off a 3-1 loss against the Washington Spirit in a game where the Wave did not propose much offense. Alex Morgan scored the lone uninspiring goal for San Diego in the dying minutes of the match, as there was not many positive takeaways for the Wave in that match.

Despite allowing three goals, Kailen Sheridan was one of the positives from that match as she had seven saves in the tough loss at Audi Field.

The Wave is still dealing with some serious injury problems, as Taylor Kornieck and Emily van Egmond will both still be unavailable for this game against Houston. Both have been big absences for Casey Stoney in the midfield, and their physical presence has especially been missed. Abby Dahlkemper is getting closer to coming back as she has now been involved consistently in training sessions and has also been doing work with the ball.

The Kansas City Current has been a very inconsistent team in the 2023 NWSL season, currently in 10th place with six points from six games played. The Current is coming off a hard-fought 3-2 loss against Angel City FC in Los Angeles but did enjoy two consecutive wins against Gotham FC and Orlando Pride.

Kansas City’s offense has really been consistent recently, scoring exactly two goals in the Current’s last five games in all competitions. Debinha has been the star of the team with four goals scored, but Cecilia Kizer has also been vital to this KC squad with three goals and an assist.

Kansas City’s defense is very inconsistent, and players like Alex Morgan, Jaedyn Shaw, and Amirah Ali have the potential to take advantage of it.

Players to watch

Alex Morgan

Morgan scored the lone goal for the Wave against the Washington Spirit, which was her first goal since April 1. The American superstar has had a fantastic season, scoring four goals with an assist, as she is coming off a minor injury. Morgan has the potential to do damage against a very inconsistent Kansas City backline in this match.

Debinha

The Brazilian forward has been Kansas City’s best player this season, with four goals scored in five NWSL games. Kailen Sheridan has been effective against some of the best NWSL strikers this season and will likely need to stop a few shots from Debinha in this match.

Francisco Velasco

Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.