The 2013 season was FC Kansas City's first season of existence, in which they competed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top division of women's soccer in the United States.
Background
On January 11, 2013, FC Kansas City announced a new logo, which would remain the club's logo until its dissolution in 2017. The team was the league's first to unveil its kits in March, using the same standard templates as the rest of the league in blue, white, and black colors. Overland Park-based Title Boxing Club sponsored the fronts of the shirts.
Summary
Founding In November 2012, it was confirmed that a Kansas City-based women's professional soccer team had been accepted into a new women's professional soccer league, later named National Women's Soccer League. The KC ownership group was composed of Chris Likens, his two sons Brad and Greg Likens, and Brian Budzinski, the same owners of the Missouri Comets of the Major Indoor Soccer League.
Preseason transactions On January 14, 2013, as part of the NWSL Player Allocation, Nicole Barnhart (USA), Lauren Cheney (USA), Renae Cuéllar (MEX), Marylin Diaz (MEX), Becky Sauerbrunn (USA), Desiree Scott (CAN), and Lauren Sesselmann (CAN) were named to the team.
On January 18, the team selected Kristie Mewis, Erika Tymrak, Whitney Berry, and Nia Williams in the 2013 NWSL College Draft. The team signed Sinead Farrelly, Jen Buczkowski, and Leigh Ann Robinson as free agents.
During the February 7 Supplemental Draft, the Blues selected Courtney Jones, Bianca Henninger, Merritt Mathias, Casey Nogueira, Tina DiMartino, and Casey Berrier.
FC Kansas City held open tryouts in February, calling back nine players to be amateur reserves of the 65 who attended: forward Gisela Arrieta, goalkeeper Colleen Boyd, forward Ariana Calderon, defender Natalie Carter, midfielder Molly Dreska, midfielder Jaime French, defender Natalie Norris, forward Andrea Rodriguez, and midfielder Vendula Strnadova.
Regular season On April 13, 2013, FC Kansas City hosted Portland Thorns FC in the first regular-season match in NWSL history. In the 3rd minute of the match, Renae Cuéllar scored the first goal in the histories of both FC Kansas City and the NWSL. The match drew a sellout crowd of 6,784 and ended in a 1–1 draw.
Due to the search for suspects in the Boston Marathon bombing, the Boston Breakers were unable to travel to Kansas City for their scheduled match against Kansas City on April 19, resulting in a postponement. Kansas City won its first game in its second match, defeating Seattle Reign FC 2–0 at home on April 26.
On July 1, head coach Vlatko Andonovski traded Cuéllar to Seattle Reign FC for Teresa Noyola.
FC Kansas City clinched its first playoff qualification after defeating Portland Thorns FC 3–2 on August 4, with Lauren Holiday scoring a brace and Kristie Mewis scoring the match-winning goal in the 74th minute. The road match set a league attendance record of 17,619.
However, despite opportunities to clinch the NWSL Shield, Kansas City lost to the Boston Breakers on August 10 and the Chicago Red Stars on August 18, resulting in a three-way tie atop the table for points. With the league's first tiebreaker being head-to-head record, the Western New York Flash won the 2013 Shield, Kansas City finished second, and Portland finished third.
The loss to the Breakers snapped a 10-match unbeaten streak, the season's longest, and was the last time an opponent would shutout Kansas City in any competition until Sky Blue FC in the opening match of the 2015 season, a streak of 25 regular-season matches and 28 including playoffs. The team's 11 shutouts on the season set a league record that stood until North Carolina Courage recorded 12 in the 2017 season, which was two matches longer.
Postseason On August 24, Kansas City hosted Portland in the first-ever NWSL Playoffs match in the league's history. After taking a 2–0 lead at halftime on goals by Erika Tymrak and Melissa Henderson, Portland scored twice in the second half to draw in regulation and force extra time. Thorns midfielder Allie Long scored the match-winning goal in the 103rd minute and Kansas City were unable to equalize, eliminating Kansas City from the postseason. The loss was the seventh time in all of the season's competitions that Kansas City had led by two or more goals during a match but failed to win.
Honors
FC Kansas City swept the league's postseason individual awards, led by Holiday winning the golden boot and most valuable player awards. Her 12 goals and 9 assists led the league in both categories, and she scored a goal or assist in 10 consecutive appearances, interrupted only by international duty and her wedding to Jrue Holiday.
Stadium On February 6, the club announced its home matches would be played at Shawnee Mission District Stadium in Overland Park, Kansas, a 6,150-capacity high-school gridiron football and track and field stadium with artificial turf. Season tickets were initially priced from $135 to $255.
Club Roster .
Player
Transactions July 1: Renae Cuéllar and 3rd-round pick in the 2014 NWSL College Draft traded to Seattle Reign FC for Teresa Noyola, rights to Nikki Krzysik, and a 2nd-round pick in the 2014 draft. July 31: Jaime French signed
Team management FC Kansas City's ownership group was composed of Chris, Brad and Greg Likens, and Brian Budzinski. The group also owns the Missouri Comets of the Major Indoor Soccer League. Budzinski is also owner of the Kansas City Soccerdome. On December 12, 2012, the team announced the hiring of Vlatko Andonovski, a former professional player and head coach of the Kansas City Kings of the PASL and Missouri Olympic Development Program (ODP), as head coach for the season.
Competitions Key
Preseason
NWSL regular season
Results summary
Matches Kickoff times are in CDT (UTC-05)
Standings
Statistics + Field player regular-season statistics Name 6 MF 22221,980 020 1111 00 1111400 13 DF 22221,900 050 106 160 25510 11 MF 20201,800 000 75 20 0241200 19 MF 20201,784 101 3413 1043 1121920 9 DF 22191,738 230 2517 194 7221330 4 DF 19191,710 010 21 10 02500 14 DF 19191,633 000 41 30 0171031 12 MF 18181,620 1293 6331 927 3142800 15 MF 21161,453 641 2614 63 521800 2 MF 17131,030 000 129 20 1611900 17 MF 1610896 101 93 00 64700 10 FW 11 8682 502 2716 00 183800 8 DF 22 6670 411 3221 60 126700 7 MF 4 3275 111 94 25 12400 20 DF 7 2207 000 21 00 02100 16 DF 4 2182 000 00 00 03110 10 MF 7 1155 000 30 10 02100 16 FW 1 011 000 00 00 00000 3 FW 1 04 000 00 00 00000 22 MF 1 01 000 00 00 00000 23 DF 1 01 000 00 00 00000
+ Goalkeeper regular-season statistics Name 18 GK 20201,800 1055 1878667 190.95 33 10 1 GK 2 2180 110 17 85 31.50 11 1
NWSL Championship Playoffs
Honors and awards
Lauren Holiday – NWSL Player of the Month, June 2013 Erika Tymrak – NWSL Player of the Week, week 15 Erika Tymrak – NWSL Player of the Month, July 2013 Lauren Holiday – NWSL Golden Boot Erika Tymrak – NWSL Rookie of the Year Nicole Barnhart – NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year Becky Sauerbrunn – NWSL Defender of the Year Vlatko Andonovski – NWSL Coach of the Year Lauren Holiday – NWSL Most Valuable Player NWSL Team of the Year First XI – GK Nicole Barnhart, DF Leigh Ann Robinson, DF Becky Sauerbrunn, MF Lauren Holiday Second XI – DF Lauren Sesselmann, MF Desiree Scott, MF Erika Tymrak
References