Current lock up the Shield, Dash on the rise – Equalizer Soccer

© Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Kansas City Current locked up the NWSL Shield over the weekend.

Before anyone else officially clinched a playoff berth. Before anyone has been officially eliminated from playoff contention. That makes them pretty good, right? Let’s examine.

Here’s how the clubs shape up after most of National Women’s Soccer League Week 21 action:

Cream of the Crop

z-Kansas City Current (17-2-2, 53 pts; vs Reign, 2-0): Once the Spirit dropped points on Thursday, the Shield was in reach for the Current, and they took a firm hold of it with a 2-0 win over the Reign. All that’s left now is the record book and the playoffs. The Current are a win away from matching last year’s Pride and Spirit with 18 wins, and the shutout was their ninth straight (812 minutes in all), far and away a league record. Lorena skipped two of those so her personal mark is 632 which breaks Nicole Barnhart’s record of 588 that stood for more than a decade.

Best of the Rest

Washington Spirit (10-4-7, 37 pts; @ Angel City, 2-2): It wasn’t perfect but they got out of Los Angeles with a draw and get a 10-day break before hosting the Houston Dash on Sunday afternoon. Defensively, the match highlighted how important Hal Hershfelt is to the operation as she missed the match after a red card in Kansas City. Offensively, the re-emergence of Croix Bethune as a threat to score or create something dangerous every time she hits the attacking third adds an element that makes them a threat to win any kind of match.