Kansas City Current set new high-mark for attendance in home draw against Angel City

The Kansas City Current asked KC to show up Friday night. And KC responded in force.

The Current set a new high-water mark for attendance at a National Women’s Soccer League game in Kansas City, playing Angel City FC to an entertaining 1-1 draw at Children’s Mercy Park.

An announced 10,395 fans attended the game in Kansas City, Kan., where the outcome extended the Current’s unbeaten streak to 11 matches.

“We truly thrive off that, and we felt that energy throughout the entire match” said Current captain Desiree Scott. “You saw the opportunities we created, and we felt that pulse through the stadium every time we got an opportunity.”

The Current (7-5-4) were on their front foot for the majority of Friday night’s game. They pressed Angel City high up the field, flipping turnover after turnover into wave after wave of attacking possession.

But for the first 80 minutes, the home team couldn’t turn its dominance into a goal.

“That’s the risk and reward of the game,” Current coach Matt Potter said.

Potter indicated that he felt his team started out the right way, in the manner and with the identity that they want to play every match.

“The risk is if you don’t put your chances away and you let a good team like Angel City hang around, then at some point in time they’re going to get an opportunity,” Potter said.

And it was Angel City that struck first on a header Cari Roccaro looped over KC keeper AD Franch and into the net.

But KC’s answer came just three minutes later. In typical fashion — pressing the opponent into a mistake — Lo LaBonta took the ball from an Angel City defender and was almost immediately fouled inside the box.

LaBonta dispatched her fourth penalty kick of the season into the Angel City net to equalize, her celebration quickly becoming the talk of soccer Twitter.

“One thing we’ve started to do on our team is celebrate goals,” LaBonta said. “Female soccer players tend to just go to each other and ‘kumbayah,’ and we love that. We love celebrating with each other. But I think we really wanna start making it a little more fun and have individual celebrations.”

Not long after LaBonta’s goal, those throughout the teal-and-red-bathed stadium thought Elyse Bennett had won the match in extra time ... but the crowd’s joyous noise had drowned out a referee’s whistle: Bennett was flagged as being just a half-step offside.

Friday night’s level of excitement offered a glimpse of what it should sound like in the Current’s new stadium, which is set to open for the 2024 season. Earlier in the week, the Current launched an informational website — kccurrentstadium.com — where fans will be able to secure season tickets at the forthcoming venue starting on Sept. 13.

Before then, there’s more soccer to be played. The Current are set to host the North Carolina Courage next Sunday, Aug. 28, kicking off at Children’s Mercy Park at 6 p.m. Central Time.