FC KANSAS CITY TRAVELS FOR MIDWEEK MATCH

Blues Face Off With Washington Spirit

PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS (July 28, 2024) - FC Kansas City (11-5-4 37pts) will travel to Washington D.C. and play the Washington Spirit (8-8-4 20pts) on Wednesday July 30^th. The Blues play three games in a week and this is the second one in the streak. Kansas City hopes to continue the momentum from Sunday’s 2-1 win over Sky Blue FC. The Spirit tied 1-1 with Portland Thorns FC last Wednesday.

On Sunday, FC Kansas City hosted Sky Blue FC resulting in a 2-1 victory for the Blues. Kansas City controlled most of the match with the New Jersey club winning some good chances to attack. Amy Rodriguez put the home team ahead in the 34^th minute. Lauren Holiday had the defense focus on her, leaving Rodriguez open with a clear shot on goal. FC Kansas City had more close chances on goal throughout the rest of the half but the teams would go to halftime at 1-0. The Blues’ second goal came in the 70^th minute when rookie Frances Silva sent a pass to a streaking Holiday. She then one touched the ball past Jill Loyden for her 8^th goal of the season. Sky Blue FC’s Nadia Nadim scored in the 87^th minute. The New Jersey club took control of the ball late in the match and challenged the Blues. The final whistle sounded and ended the match before Sky Blue could find an equalizer. The three points earned held FC Kansas City in second place.

Washington Spirit tied with Portland Thorns FC last Wednesday. After a long weather delay, the match finally got off to an early start. In the eighth minute, Alex Morgan scored for Portland on a play from Stephanie Cately. Washington’s Jodie Taylor scored the equalizing goal in the 68^th minute. Taylor broke through Portland’s defense to receive a pass from Diana Matheson. A one on one with the goalkeeper stood in the way of Taylor scoring, she chose wisely and tied the score 1-1. The match was strong defensively as Portland was held to 4 shots on goal while the Spirit tallied 2 on goal.

Wednesday is a crucial match for both sides. Three points for Kansas City is distance in the standings from the rest of the pack. The Spirit is currently tied for fourth place along with Chicago and Western New York all at 20 points. The top four teams qualify for the playoffs in late August and with Portland only a point ahead of the tie, the third and fourth place spots could go to a few different teams. FC Kansas City has a split record with the Spirit. The Blues lost to Washington early in the season but then won the second meeting. The Spirit’s offense will be missing a member; Renae Cuellar has a meniscus tear and will be out the rest of the season. Kansas City had a solid defensive performance on Sunday and will hope to bring that with to Washington.

Kick off at Maryland SoccerPlex will be at 6:00 PM Central Time. The game can be seen streaming online at fckansascity.com/live-feed/ . The Blues return home to Verizon Wireless Field this Saturday, August 2^nd to host Seattle Reign FC. Tickets can be purchased by calling 855.4KC.GOAL.

FC Kansas City is a Women’s Professional Soccer Team competing in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). The “Blues” began play in front of nearly 7,000 fans on April 13^th, 2024, the first NWSL game in history. For more information or media inquiries please email Huw Williams at hwilliams@kcprosoccer.com or Lindsey Daley at ldaley@kcprosoccer.com.