At age 26, Malawian professional women’s soccer player Temwa Chaŵinga has established herself as a dominant force in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) here in the U.S. this season. Chaŵinga previously played for Wuhan Jianghan University FC in the Chinese Super League and joined the Kansas City Current in the NWSL during the 2024 season. While playing for Wuhan Jianghan University FC, Chaŵinga scored an impressive 83 goals in just 84 games. She helped the team win four straight titles in the league before making the move to Kansas City. In Chaŵinga’s first season in the NWSL, she has broken several records while helping Kansas City rebound back from last season.
Despite making it to the championship match in 2022, the KC Current finished eleventh out of twelve teams in 2023 and failed to qualify for the NWSL playoffs. Chaŵinga has massively helped the Current in their playoff run this time around. In the 2024 season, the Current has been a commanding force in the league and have already punched their ticket into the 2024 NWSL playoffs. As of now, the Current are ranked fourth out of fourteen teams with one game left to play against the Chicago Red Stars on November 3rd before they host a quarterfinal in the playoffs on November 9th. Chaŵinga is looking to continue making an extensive impact on the field as the Current hope to claim the NWSL championship title.
In just one season, Chaŵinga has managed to put the ball in the back of the net against every single team in the NWSL. This is a feat that no player in the league has accomplished before. Chaŵinga continues to break records, as she currently has twenty goals in the 25 games the KC Current have played so far. This accomplishment has surpassed Sam Kerr’s previous NWSL record of goals scored in a single season (eighteen). While other players in the league have also excelled, none of them are close to catching up with Chaŵinga in the Golden Boot race. Barbra Banda of Orlando Pride is second in the race, behind Chaŵinga by an astonishing seven goals, sitting at thirteen total goals on the season.
Part of the Current’s and Chaŵinga’s new success could be accredited to their new field: CPKC Stadium. In 2021, Club Owners Chris and Angie Long and Patrick and Brittany Mahomes announced the construction of the first stadium in the world built specifically for a professional women’s sports team that seats 11,500 fans. The stadium is helping to reconnect Kansas City with the riverfront as it sits on the south bank on the Missouri River. March 16, 2024 marked a historic day as the KC Current took the field at their home opener in a brand-new, sold-out stadium and secured a 5-4 win over the Portland Thorns. Chaŵinga didn’t open her scoring until the third game of the season against Angel City FC, but after that, she couldn’t be stopped and made an enormous impact on the league.
Temwa Chaŵinga and the KC Current have turned a lot of heads in the NWSL and across the world this season. More and more people are tuning in to watch Chaŵinga and women’s soccer as the Current continue to sell out their stadium and broadcast viewership is up 95% from the previous season. Chaŵinga’s stellar record-breaking performances have immensely helped the Current back into the NWSL playoffs while leaving her mark on the league in just her first season. Chaŵinga’s contract is through the 2025 season, but her success is bound to earn her another contract. Chaŵinga and the Current are looking to carry momentum into the playoffs this year and future seasons.
