NWSL MVP Temwa Chawinga to miss start of Kansas City Current’s season, Chris Armas says
· Yahoo Sports
Reigning National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) MVP Temwa Chawinga is set to miss the beginning of the 2026 season, Kansas City Current head coach Chris Armas has confirmed.
“She’s not available yet, but she’s getting closer,” Armas told a press conference on Friday.
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Chawinga has been recovering from an adductor injury that she suffered in the first half of a 1-0 defeat away to the Houston Dash on Oct. 18; it was the Current’s penultimate match of the 2025 NWSL regular season.
The Malawi international missed the final match of the 2025 regular season and the top-seed Current’s 2-1 loss to No. 8 seed NJ/NY Gotham FC in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. Chawinga finished the season as the league’s Golden Boot winner with 15 goals, was crowned MVP and named in the Best XI.
On Friday, Armas said the Current were keen to give Chawinga as much time as possible to recover, and that the team had to be “intelligent” about how they managed her return to play.
“We’re seeing her out on the training pitch these days, but it’s such a demanding season for these athletes, especially the demands that she puts into games. She’s getting close. We still are managing it the right way,” said Armas.
Chawinga only recently returned to training with the Current. Armas hoped she would be unavailable on a “short-term” basis but was reluctant to give too much clarity on when she would be back playing in the NWSL.
“I’d love to be able to know myself,” he said. “Is it next month you see some action? Who knows? But that’s me trying to give you that (a timeline). It’s getting closer.”
The Current reported for preseason eight weeks ago with the two-time NWSL MVP listed on the Season-Ending Injury list. Also on that list was U.S. women’s national team forward Michelle Cooper.
Armas was more hopeful of Cooper’s imminent return, commenting that his group was boosted by her “coming back into the team.”
Despite the high-profile absences, Armas spoke highly of his attacking options. This week, the Current signed forward Penelope Hocking from Bay FC for a $350,000 transfer fee. She joins Ally Sentnor, rookie Gianna Paul, Haley Hopkins, and, recently loaned in fromHB Køge, Kyra Carusa in the forward group. Danish side Køge is also owned by Current owners Angie and Chris Long.
“We’ve had to figure out some life without Temwa for a bit,” said Armas. “It’s allowed us to try some different things and different combinations up there, we have real intelligence, real fluidity and real versatility.”
Armas, who joined the Current in January, will coach his first game in the NWSL when Kansas City opens its 2026 regular season at home to the Utah Royals on Saturday, March 14.
The Current went undefeated at home in the 2025 regular season, won the Shield, and set league records for total number points (65), wins (21) and fewest goals conceded (13).
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Kansas City Current, NWSL, Women's Soccer
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