Temwa Chawinga Returns With Kansas City Waiting

Temwa Chawinga is available again. For Kansas City Current, the timing could hardly be less subtle.

The Current enter Saturday seventh in the NWSL, five points behind North Carolina, with one win from their last eight league matches. They haven’t won at CPKC Stadium since July despite remaining unbeaten there all season.

North Carolina arrives fifth, having won five of their last six. And Chawinga, absent from Kansas City’s last four league matches while representing Malawi at WAFCON, is no longer on the Current’s availability report.

Nine Goals Have Been Sitting Outside

Chawinga has played only 11 of Kansas City’s 21 league matches this season. She has scored nine goals.

The Current have won seven of the 11 league matches in which she appeared and only two of the 10 she missed.

Her return also comes directly after Kansas City produced one of the stranger attacking performances of its season against Seattle: 24 shots, four big chances and 3.31 expected goals produced one goal, and that came from Debinha’s penalty.

Kansas City hit the woodwork three times. The Current haven’t been short of chances. They’ve been short of Chawinga.

Bethune Is One Assist From Ten

Croix Bethune has continued creating while Kansas City’s results have stalled. She enters Saturday tied for the NWSL lead with nine assists. One more would make her only the third player in league history to reach 10 in a regular season, and the first to do it twice.

Bethune has recorded assists in two of Kansas City’s last three matches. Now the league’s joint-leading creator could have Temwa Chawinga in front of her again.

That pairing gives Saturday a very different shape from Kansas City’s recent run without its leading scorer. The Soccer Betting Hub and NWSL Betting Guide become especially relevant when today’s available personnel differ so sharply from the team behind the recent results.

Sanchez Arrives With Fifteen Goals

North Carolina has its own reason not to care much about Kansas City’s reunion. Ashley Sanchez scored twice against Angel City on Wednesday and twice against Boston four days earlier. She enters Kansas City with 15 goals, the Courage single-season record, and a three-goal lead in the Golden Boot race.

North Carolina has won five of six and scored 17 goals during that stretch. But Saturday is their third match in eight days, and their defense needs attention. Natalie Jacobs has recently been unavailable, while Maycee Bell left Wednesday’s win over Angel City on a stretcher after suffering an apparent arm injury.

Twenty-Seven Home Games Meet Saturday

Kansas City has gone 21-0-6 across its last 27 regular-season matches at CPKC Stadium. That record has survived the Current’s recent problems. Their last three home league games all finished 1-1.

Bookmaker Sportsbook prices Kansas City at +105, North Carolina at +220, and the draw at +270. The three-goal total has the under at -120 and the over at -110.

The market is asking whether Chawinga’s return is enough to turn Kansas City’s chances into goals again.

After eight matches with one win, Kansas City finally get to answer with their two-time MVP available.

Betting Lean: Kansas City Current Moneyline (+105)

Projected Score: Kansas City Current 2-1 North Carolina Courage

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