* As Kansas City Current came from a goal behind to beat Utah Royals 2-1 in their opening NWSL 2026 season without her
* With Temwa, we have to be really intelligent with how we bring her back, in the right doses into training—coach Chris Armas
* She’s not available yet, but she’s getting closer, which means we’re seeing her out on the training pitch these days
By Duncan Mlanjira
In order to preserve Malawian forward Temwa Chawinga’s contract extension that was signed in January 2026 through to the 2028 season, Kansas City Current technical panel is cautious in bringing her into action as she recovers from her season-ending hip injury (SEI) she sustained in October.
Advertisement
She was not even on the bench as Kansas City Current came from a goal behind to beat Utah Royals 2-1 in their opening National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) 2026 season — with her coach Chris Armas indicating that the forward is officially out for the start of the team’s 2026 season.
“With Temwa, we have to be really intelligent with how we bring her back, in the right doses into training,” Armas is quoted as saying by ESPN. “What I can tell you and everyone is that she’s getting closer. She’s not available yet, but she’s getting closer, which means we’re seeing her out on the training pitch these days.
The coach added that they have taken into consideration that the NWSL “is such a demanding season for [the players] especially the demands that [Temwa] puts into games. So, as she’s getting close, we still are managing it the right way.”
Temwa, whom Malawi Scorchers’ coach Lovemore Fazili is praying that she gets back into form ahead of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAfCON) Morocco 2026 in July — in which they are grouped together alongside 10-time champions Nigeria, neighbours Zambia and North Africans Egypt — injured her adductor in October in the penultimate match of the 2025 regular season.
Temwa picked up a hip injury in October
ESPN reports that Kansas City won the 2025 NWSL Shield by a record 21 points last year behind Temwa’s 15 goals and from her overall 20 goals, Temwa won the Golden Boot and the NWSL Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Golden Boot awards each of the past two seasons.
She missed Kansas City Current’s quarterfinal match in November due to her injury in which the top-seeded side were upset by No. 8 seed Gotham FC, the eventual champions, in extra time of that quarterfinal.
Although the NWSL allows players to be removed from the SEI list at any time if they begin the year with such a designation, coach Armas told the media that he believes Chawinga’s return will be in the near term, but he could not specify when that would be.
“It is hard because it’s a complicated injury she had. I’d love to be able to know myself, even, but I think the best way to do it, which is the most honest, is short-term. Is it the next month where we see [her in] action? Who knows. But that’s me trying to give you [an answer] that it’s getting closer.”
Chawinga set the single-season NWSL scoring record in 2024, her first season in the league, when she scored 20 goals in the regular season.
The Malawian international, who scored 20 goals in her first season, a breaking record for the US league, extended her contract with Kansas City Current on January 29, 2026 — long-term future which the club’s general manager Caitlin Carducci described as “a significant priority” of the off-season.
“She had an amazing debut season, but both Temwa and our club feel that we are just getting started in reaching our potential together. We’re excited to see her wearing the Current crest for years to come,” Carducci was quoted as saying by Kansas City Current Media in January.
Carducci and Temwa after the contract extension signing in January
Temwa is profoundly recognised by Kansas City as having posted “the most impressive debut season in NWSL history in 2024” and that last season, she “became the first player in league history to score 20 goals in a season, record a goal in eight consecutive regular season matches and score a goal against all 13 NWSL teams”.
Her record-setting campaign, that culminated by becoming the first player in franchise history to win both the golden boot and the league MVP award, is what spurred the team to extend her contract.
“Temwa brings so much to the team both offensively and defensively,” Carducci told Kansas City Media. “She is an incredible player, an incredible person and a cornerstone of this organisation.”
Kansas City Media puts on record that Chawinga’s NWSL debut came in the Current’s inaugural match at CPKC Stadium on March 16, 2024 in the team’s 5-4 victory against the Portland Thorns.
“She provided what ultimately stood as the game-winning assist to forward Alex Pfeiffer’s first professional goal. Her first NWSL goal came on March 30 in the Current’s 4-2 victory against Angel City FC, and Chawinga’s first NWSL brace came against Bay FC April 20.
“A June 9 brace against the Seattle Reign kick-started Chawinga’s historic eight-match scoring streak, which ran until September 7. Chawinga then scored in the Current’s next six NWSL regular season and postseason matches, and scored two goals in the Current’s victory over NJ/NY Gotham FC in the championship of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.
“She finished the 2024 regular season with 20 goals and six assists, and was named to the NWSL Best XI of the Month four times.”
After signing the contract, Chawinga told Kansas City Media that she and the team “hope to bring the trophy home for the fans, for KC. My team has been good to me and they treated me well last season. My teammates are kind, my coach is amazing, and my KC community has been incredible.
“All the support, it feels like home here, that’s why I decided to extend my contract with the KC Current.”—Info from ESPN, NWSL & Kansas City Media
Temwa arriving for the match against Utah yesterday.—Courtesy of Kansas City Media