Storylines | Royals v. Current: A Contest Between Two Top Five Sides

By: Jay Kostal

Utah Royals FC host fifth-seeded Kansas City Current at America First Field in its first of two home matches. The Royals will hope to take another step forward to extending its lead at the top of the table heading into the final three games of the season.

This edition of Storylines will take a look at the Royals’ most reliable defender, and a battle between two teams hoping for home field advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

Kate, the Gr8

During the recent international window, Utah Royals FC captain, Kate Del Fava received her first USWNT senior team call up after receiving the news in person following the Royals’ 1-1 tie in Louisville. Del Fava’s first cap came in the second match between USA and Spain where she contributed to the Stars and Stripes second goal. Del Fava played an incredible ball over the top of the Spanish defense to teammate Michelle Cooper, who controlled it at the top of the penalty area. Cooper played the ball back to the penalty spot for an onrushing Malley Swanson, whose shot rippled the back of the net past the diving Spanish goalkeeper to tie the game at 2-2.

Del Fava received her call up after being recognized as one of the top NWSL defenders this season as she was named to the NWSL Best XI for the months of May and July. The 28-year old defender has showcased her strong defensive abilities with the most clearances on the team with nearly double the next closest player with 135 in total and the most headed duels won with 53.

Supporting the team on the offensive side, Del Fava scored both of her goals this season just a week apart. Her first goal came off a corner kick whipped to the far post, where Del Fava headed in the opening goal of the Royals’ 4-1 victory over North Carolina on July 25. Her second goal came in similar fashion, with another corner kick looped to the far post for Del Fava to head home the fifth goal in the Royals’ 5-1 home victory over the Portland Thorns.

Del Fava has a long-standing history with Kansas City Current, having relocated with the team from Utah to Kansas City in 2021. During her time with the Current, she made 53 appearances, including 43 starts. Del Fava would return to Utah in 2024 through the expansion draft, where she has made an impressive club-record 79 consecutive starts and logged the most minutes in club history with 7,110.

The Royals Face a Tough Test Against a Powerful Kansas City Attack

Since returning to the NWSL in 2024, the Royals have never taken a single point off the Current with a record of 0-5-0 (W-L-T) and getting outscored eight to one in the five contests. The last clash between the two ended in a 2-1 loss for the Royals despite heading into halftime with a 1-0 lead. Tatumn Milazzo scored the lone Royals goal off a short worked corner that Cloé Lacasse whipped into the six-yard box. Milazzo was able to get her head to the ball before the Current goalkeeper could punch it away for the first Royals goal of the 2026 season.

This season, a bulk of Kansas City’s goals have come from the front four with 34 of the team’s 48 goals split between the forwards. Leading the attack is two-time Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga, who won her first Golden Boot when she set the NWSL single-season scoring record back in 2024 with 20 goals. During the 2025 season, Chawinga scored 15 goals and recorded three assists on her way to winning her second consecutive NWSL Golden Boot.

Supporting Chawinga in the attack has been veteran forwards, Haley Hopkins, who scored a hattrick two games ago against Denver Summit, and Debinha, who scored a hattrick of her own in the Current’s last match against Bay FC. USWNT winger Michelle Cooper has recorded 10 goal involvements this season as the 2025 NWSL Shield winners look to secure its spot in the playoffs.

The battle against Kansas City will take place at America First Field on October 17th with kickoff scheduled for 4:30 p.m. MT. Tickets are available at www.rsl.com/utahroyals/tickets/.