What went wrong for Matt Potter in Kansas City? It wasn’t supposed to be like this. After a seriously impressive winter transfer window, and a great season in 2022, Current fans could have been forgiven for casting a lustful eye towards the NWSL Championship this season.
That could still happen, of course. But no one envisioned just how this season was going to start; winless through 3 NWSL games and now managerless, after head coach Matt Potter received his marching orders after the loss to the Chicago Red Stars.
The feeling in the locker room
The players were as surprised as anyone with the decision. Current attacker Lo’eau LaBonta, when asked (after the NWSL Challenge Cup win over Houston, if she knew of anyone having any issues with Matt Potter said:
“Not to my knowledge, no. I’ve done numerous interviews with Matt and about Matt, and Matt literally just did one for me. And we’re very truthful people. We had no knowledge that this was going to happen at all. We didn’t have any say in it. It was news to us and where the whole shock came from.”
Midfielder CeCe Kizer concurred with hear teammate:
“Not to my knowledge that anyone had any issues… We came together as a group and we were shocked, but we knew we had a game to get after”.
An upturn in fortunes
To make a change so early in the season was certainly surprising on the face of it. But then, perhaps not so when you look at the Current’s performances so far this season, and indeed their performances since he was fired. Consecutive wins over over the Houston Dash and the Orlando Pride, in the NWSL Challenge Cup and league respectively. Maybe there’s more to this story than meets the eye?
The Current’s GM, Camille Ashton, told the Kansas City Star that there had been, what they termed, a ‘breakdown in leadership, communication and trust’. Ashton was quoted as saying: “We were frustrated with the losses and the start of the season. Ultimately, that was then met with a lack of collaboration and partnership that we would otherwise expect from our head coach with management and ownership.”
It was, largely, a relief to hear Ashton confirm there was no breakdown in Potter’s relationship with the team, not was it related to concerns raised by the family of Mykiaa Minnis, and indeed by the player herself regarding her treatment by the club after being selected in the third round of this year’s draft. Although the allegations themselves are rather disconcerting. The Kansas City Current have denied any knowledge of the happenings in Minnis’ claim.
Ashton refused to go into any specifics in terms of why there was a ‘lack of collaboration’. I wouldn’t expect any to come to the fore either. At least not any time soon.
It’s clear that results and indeed performances played their part.
Building on last season
After losing out on the NWSL Championship title to the Portland Thorns last season and having finished in a very respectable 5th place, expectations were high for this season. Particularly after their winter recruitment drive; the Current have a squad that’s the envy of many in the league. Not to mention the team’s stand out training facility and imminent new stadium. This is a club that expects big things.
As a result, there were always going to be questions asked after a 0-0-3 start. The manner of the defeats, particularly the first two, are probably what smarted the owners the most. Their numbers certainly don’t make for good reading. Currently, pardon the pun, KC rank 11th in the NWSL for shots on target per game, 8th for successful tackles, 10th for goals conceded and 9th for average possession.
They haven’t been excelling in any department. So maybe Potter’s departure, whilst abrupt, isn’t entirely unjustified. Expectations are high in the Kansas City front office. Whomever takes the reins next, will need to deliver on those expectations.
Written by Dan Berridge
