* Temwa sustained a hip injury in October towards the end of the season but is recovering and might be considered for the opening game tomorrow
* The depth of the Kansas City Current roster is a spoil of riches – and that’s even with stars Temwa Chawinga and Michelle Cooper starting the season on season-ending injury
By Duncan Mlanjira
As the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) 2026 season kicks off this weekend, Temwa Chawinga’s Kansas City Current, are described as “a near-impossible team to beat” following their excellent performance last year.
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They open their title campaign tomorrow against Utah Royals and NWSL media platform reports that “the depth of the Kansas City Current roster is a spoil of riches – and that’s even with stars Temwa Chawinga and Michelle Cooper starting the season on season-ending injury (SEI)”.
Temwa, who was named NWSL Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the second straight season, sustained a hip injury in October towards the end of the season but is recovering and might be considered for the opening game tomorrow.
Kansas City train branded with the image of Temwa Chawinga and her teammate ahead of the new season this weekend
The NWSL Championship 2025 was won by Gotham FC while Kansas City Current claimed the NWSL Shield and dominated the league by holding the No. 1 spot for most of the season with an impressive 21-3-2 record.
The season also marked Temwa Chawinga reaching the NWSL Championship final for the second consecutive season in which “the Kansas City Current were electric in 2025”, as reported by NWSL Media.
“On paper, the Current make for a near-impossible team to beat, but soccer is played on the pitch and the Utah Royals enter 2026 with something to prove. It helps to have a player like Mina Tanaka at the front.”
“In her second NWSL season, Tanaka found her groove, scoring six goals but showing a hunger for more. After winning just one game in the first half of the season, the Royals found a rhythm – which included a win over the Portland Thorns at Providence Park.
“With exciting signings like Kiana Palacios, there is renewed excitement coming to the Utah front line” that the Kansas City’s defence have to keep an eye on.
After a record-setting Shield and Championship-winning season in 2024, Temwa’s rival, Zambian Barbra Banda’s Orlando Pride take on Seattle Reign FC on Sunday, who saw their title-defending campaign end in the seminals.
The rivalry continues this season between the two players, who will also face each other at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAfCON) Morocco 2026 in July in which they are grouped together alongside 10-time champions Nigeria and North Africans Egypt.—Info from NWSL & Kansas City Current media
