Kansas City Current make free-agency splash, adding USWNT, NWSL experience to midfield

Daniel Sperry
·3 min read

The Kansas City Current made a splash in free agency this week, on Wednesday adding former Chicago Red Stars and United States Women’s National Team midfielder Morgan Gautraut and former Red Stars captain Vanessa DiBernardo.

Gautraut and DiBernardo signed deals that will keep them with the Current through the 2024 season.

Gautraut, 29, also played under her maiden name, Morgan Brian. She was the first overall pick made by the Houston Dash in the 2015 National Women’s Soccer League Draft. She was a three-time nominee for the Mac Hermann Trophy, college soccer’s equivalent to the Heisman, at Virginia, winning it in 2013 and ‘14.

She was a member of the USWNT during the 2015 and 2019 Women’s World Cups. She made three straight starts in the knockout stage of the 2015 Women’s World Cup, including the Americans’ 5-2 victory over Japan in the final. She started once during the U.S. team’s s 3-0 win against Chile in the 2019 group stage.

Over her club career, she has made 82 appearances in the NWSL, scoring three goals with five assists. She played with the Dash from 2015-17 before moving to the Red Stars halfway through the 2017 season. She stayed there through the 2022 season, helping Chicago make four straight NWSL playoff appearances.

“I am beyond excited to be joining the KC Current family,” Gautrat said. “The ownership, the facilities, the staff, the team, and the resources are world-class.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to call this club home and to help the team in any way that I can. I can’t wait to play in front of the amazing fans and hopefully bring back a trophy to Kansas City.”

DiBernardo, 30, also comes from the Red Stars’ midfield. The Naperville, Illinois, native and team captain has spent her entire pro career with Chicago. She is the club’s all-time leader in minutes played (12,465), games played (155), and assists (22). She is eighth all-time in NWSL history for assists.

After growing up in the Chicago suburbs, DiBernardo attended the University of Illinois-Champaign, where she held school records for assists and shots. In 2020, DiBernardo has been inducted in the University of Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame.

“I’m so excited to be joining Kansas City and starting a new chapter in my career,” she said. “What this club is doing for the game, their players and this league is special, and I’m grateful to get the opportunity to be a part of it. I can’t wait to get started and help this team in any way I can to push for a championship!”

Gautraut and DiBernardo add significant experience and depth. The only midfielders on the Current’s roster with no injury issues were Chardonnay Curran and Addie McCain, whose roles in 2022 never developed beyond late-game substitutions.

Superstar Sam Mewis played no more than 90 minutes over the club’s first two Challenge Cup matches before being ruled out for the year with a knee injury. And Claire Lavogez will likely miss the beginning of the 2023 season as she recovers from the torn ACL sustained in the Current’s 2-1 victory over the Houston Dash in the NWSL playoffs. And it’s not yet known whether team captain Desiree Scott will return.

As NWSL free agency continues, it seems likely the Current will eventually need to focus on their back line: Taylor Leach recently retired and Kristen Edmonds left for her hometown team, Gotham FC.

The Current begin their 2023 season in March. The league for the first time has scheduled its annual NWSL Challenge Cup to run concurrently with the regular season. The opening weekend of the NWSL regular season is slated for March 25.

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