Kansas City Current’s slide continues as questions grow around Chris Armas

The Kansas City Current’s woes went from bad to worse in Portland on Saturday night with a 2-0 loss to the Portland Thorns. Olivia Moultrie’s 53rd-minute penalty put the Thorns in front, and 10 minutes later, Reilyn Turner added a second. To call the Current’s performance abysmal is simply stating the obvious.

Kansas City never looked like scoring. After 90 minutes, they produced just 0.44 expected goals. Six shots, four on target, and zero big chances created was the team’s night in a nutshell. Meanwhile, the defense allowed 18 shots, seven of them on target, underlining how one-sided the match became.

On paper, the defensive numbers look respectable. The Current recorded 21 tackles, four blocks, 34 clearances, and five goalkeeper saves. In reality, those numbers reflect a team under constant pressure, forced into reactive defending rather than controlling the game.

From NWSL Shield winners in 2025 to a side that looks like a shell of its former self, that is the current state of Kansas City. After the loss, the team sits 13th out of 16 with three points from four matches.

A talented squad, but no rhythm

Head coach Chris Armas has now overseen three straight defeats. Injuries have played a role in the team’s downturn. Temwa Chawinga, who scored 15 goals last season, has been unavailable, while Vanessa DiBernardo has missed time due to maternity leave. Those are significant absences.

Even so, the lineup in Portland was far from weak. Ally Sentnor led the line, with Debinha playing as the No. 10. Michelle Cooper started on the right, and offseason signing Croix Bethune featured on the left. On paper, this is not a team that should be losing three matches in a row.

Yet they are and the bigger concern is how they are losing. Across those three defeats, Kansas City scored just once. A goal in the shock 2-1 loss to the Chicago Stars was followed by back-to-back shutout losses to the Seattle Reign and Portland. 

Both Seattle and Portland currently sit in the NWSL’s top four, but Kansas City’s performances have made them both look like title favorites rather than early-season contenders.

The Armas question

Players may be missing, but the most obvious difference between the 2025 and 2026 Current is the presence of Armas on the touchline. Vlatko Andonovski oversaw the club’s historic 2025 campaign, leading the team to a record 65 points and 21 wins before stepping back to focus on his sporting director role.

Armas was always a head scratching appointment to replaceAndonovski. His recent resume does not suggest an elite-level head coach. At the Colorado Rapids, he compiled a 33W-13D-36L record across two seasons before being dismissed. Yes, he reached the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2024, but in a league where more than half the teams qualify, that is the bare minimum a coach must accomplish rather than a marker of excellence.

His coaching path has been unconventional. He served as an assistant at Manchester United under Ralf Rangnick and later joined Leeds United under Jesse Marsch. Neither stint elevated his reputation. In England, he was labeled “the real Ted Lasso” by the media, with criticism centered on his tactical acumen. The Guardian called him “forgettable” as an assistant at Manchester United. 

Even earlier success with the New York Red Bulls came in a context where he inherited a strong team midseason and maintained momentum rather than building it from scratch. Marsch had left midway through the campaign for Salzburg, gifting Armas the job.

His time at Toronto FC was even more concerning. He lasted just 172 days, posting a 2W-3D-10L record before being dismissed. Viewed in that context, his appointment in Kansas City looks less like a calculated progression and more like a gamble. 

His only previous women’s football coaching experience was at Adelphi University from 2011 to 2015. Moving between men’s and women’s football is a big adjustment. All the more reason going from the Rapids to the Current left fans scratching their heads. 

More than just injuries

There are mitigating factors. Injuries have disrupted continuity. A three-game road stretch to open the season is far from ideal. Those explanations only go so far, however.

There are deeper issues. The Current are not creating chances consistently, and they are not preventing them either. The underlying numbers and the eye test point in the same direction.

This is no longer just a slow start. Four games into the season, the Current look disjointed, predictable in attack, and vulnerable defensively. For a team that set the standard in 2025, the drop-off is stark. Perhaps Chawinga returns and everything changes. Or perhaps it doesn’t.

The question now is not whether Kansas City can recover—it’s whether the current version of this team, under this coach, has the tools to do it. There are still 26 games left to play in the regular season to get things right. The NWSL is a forgivable league, with eight of the 16 teams making the postseason. If the losing streak extends to four games next week against Gotham, it is time to worry.