January 30, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Kansas City Current News Release
KANSAS CITY – The Kansas City Current have signed a pair of American-born players with international experience as the team begins preparations for the 2024 season. Sophie Braun joins from Club Léon from Liga MX Femenil and Regan Steigleder joins from Swedish team KIF Örebro in exchange for a transfer fee. Both players are signed through 2024 with an option for 2025.
“Both of these players bring great international experience,” said head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “Regan is a young player with a lot of potential and Sophie brings World Cup experience with her that will be incredibly important for this club.”
“We are very excited to bring Sophie and Regan home to the NWSL,” said general manager Camille Ashton. “We believe their experiences will be valuable to this team.”
Sophie Braun was born in Beaverton, Oregon. Her mother’s Argentinian heritage allowed Braun to play in Argentina’s national system. She made her international debut with Argentina’s U20 team at the 2020 South American Under-20 Women’s Football Championship, where she scored the game-winning goal in her country’s opening match against Ecuador. A year later she made her senior debut at the 2021 SheBelieves Cup. Since then, she has 25 caps and two goals, including Argentina’s first score of the 2023 FIFA World Cup.
In club play, Braun signed with Club Léon out of college. She played 18 games for the Liga MX squad in 2023 and scored two goals from her center back position. Prior to that, she was a star at Gonzaga University. She played 82 matches with 64 starts, including every match of her last three seasons as a Bulldog.
Regan Steigleder played collegiately for Northwestern University, starting all but one of the 86 matches she appeared in for the Wildcats. She scored 12 goals collegiately with an additional 4 assists before heading overseas. Looking for players who can play in all offensive positions, KIF Örebro signed her in 2022. She made 25 appearances in Sweden with 220 minutes played.
Both players are in California for preseason camp this week as the team prepares for the 2024 campaign. The world’s first stadium purpose-built for a women’s professional soccer team, CPKC Stadium, will open March 16 as the Kansas City Current host the Portland Thorns at 12pm CT. For tickets and information visit KansasCityCurrent.com.
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