FC KANSAS CITY LOOKS FOR MOMENTUM IN TO POST SEASON

Blues Hope to Win Regular Season Finale

PRAIRIE VILLAGE, KS (August 8, 2024) – FC Kansas City (12-6-5 41pts) will travel to Chicago and face off with the Red Stars (7-7-7 28pts) for the last match of the 2024 regular season. Kickoff at Benedictine University is set for 7:00 PM on Saturday. The Blues have already secured a spot in the playoffs but Chicago sits on the brink of elimination from the 2024 playoffs. Kansas City is wrapping up a tough schedule; the most recent was a 2-1 victory over Boston that was canceled at halftime due to weather. Chicago’s last match was a 2-1 loss to the Washington Spirit in stoppage time.

On Wednesday, the Blues waited for two hours through weather delays at Verizon Wireless Field. The lightning held off just long enough to play one half against the Breakers. Though the rain kept pouring, Kansas City scored two goals while Boston found one. Amy Rodriguez scored the first goal of the night in the eighth minute. She found herself in a 1v1 with goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher then found an open to net to score. Boston netted and equalizer in the 15th minute. Kassey Kallman fouled Lianne Sanderson in the box resulting in a penalty kick. Heather O’Reilly took the penalty kick and put it just beyond Nicole Barnhart’s hands to tie the score 1-1. Sarah Hagen scored the game-winning goal in the 26th minute. Much like her teammate, Hagen had Naeher between her and the net. She took a low shot that went by Naeher for Hagen’s fourth goal of the season. After Kansas City’s second goal, the tempo switched in favor of Boston. The Blues suffered 3 offside calls in a row while the Breakers found some opportunities to score. The score would remain the same as halftime and the storms set in. Due to one half being completed, the game would be official and final even though the weather prevented a second half.

Chicago traveled to face off with the Washington Spirit but lost 2-1 last Saturday. The Red Stars got on the board early when Lori Chalupny scored in the 4th minute of the match. Chicago’s captain was in the right spot to receive the end of a play made by Christen Press and Melisaa Tancredi and put the ball away for the lead. The score would stand at 1-0 heading in to the locker rooms after a close last minute play. Washington quickly tied the score up after a short break. In the 49th minute, Christine Narin scored from the top of the box. The rest of the match would be a battle for the upper-hand. Then in the 94th minute, Lisa De Vanna found Yael Averbuch who sent a shot past the Chicago defense and in to the net. The Spirit found a last minute goal for the 2-1 win.

Saturday will be FC Kansas City’s last regular season match, but the Red Stars still have two matches after this one before the regular season is over. Chicago challenges FC Kansas City on both sides of the pitch. That does not stop the Blues from winning. In the last two meetings, Kansas City has won 1-0 over the Red Stars. With Chicago having more on the line, the Blues will need to focus on defense for this match. Kansas City can distract the Chicago midfield by attacking from Rodriguez, Hagen and Lauren Holiday. The match kick off is set for 7:00 PM at Benedictine University. The match will be streaming live online by going to fckansascity.com/live-feed/.