February 24, 2024 – National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) – Kansas City Current News Release
ORLANDO, Fla. – The 2024 exhibition season continues for the Kansas City Current as the club visited the Orlando Pride today for a closed-door scrimmage. Forward Alex Pfeiffer scored her first goal for the club after becoming the youngest player to ever sign for the franchise in October 2023.
“I think it was a great test and I’m glad we were able to come and play an NWSL opponent,” said head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “This is a game that gave us a clearer picture of what the season is going to look like. I thought the players performed well and they executed some really good actions. At the same time, we were exposed at different areas of the game. That is actually good for us, because we have time to fix it.”
Six players played the full 90 minutes for the Current, including 2024 NWSL Draft pick Ellie Wheeler and second-year defender Gabrielle Robinson. The action was back and forth throughout the game, with both teams trying to find the net.
Pfeiffer entered the game in the 63rd minute of the match and immediately began to attack. As veteran midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo directed traffic through the midfield, Pfeiffer and forward Temwa Chawinga pushed the backline. DiBernardo laid in a pass to Chawinga in traffic. The newly signed Malawian forward laid off a pass to Pfeiffer on the right side of the goal. The 16-year-old looked like a seasoned veteran as she hit a one-touch shot to the back post, giving the Current a 1-0 lead.
“Obviously she’s here for a reason,” said Andonovski. “We think she’s a young player with lots of potential and we see that today in that she got a goal, even though it’s a friendly game. I think it’s important for her and hopefully it will motivate her even more to fight for a starting spot on the team.”
The Current will remain in Florida for one more week, capped by the third preseason match against the Houston Dash March 3. The team will then return to Kansas City to begin the final preparations for the 2024 NWSL Regular Season.
The Current will open the 2024 NWSL Regular Season with the Grand Opening of CPKC Stadium, the first stadium in the world purpose-built for a women’s professional sports team, March 16 against the Portland Thorns. Credential applications for that opening match, along with applications for the rest of the season, are now open. The links for all applications can be found on the team’s Media Center -…