Kansas
Rose Lavelle’s return not enough as Gotham FC falls to Kansas City Current
Rose is back
From her ankle boo-boo
The rain fell down
And Gotham did, too.
The return of star midfielder Rose Lavelle, meant to spark Gotham during a patchy run of league form, instead provided just a silver lining on a gray and rainy Saturday afternoon during a 2-1 home loss to the Kansas City Current.
It was the first appearance for Lavelle — the fan favorite who had been sidelined from Gotham (3W-3D-5L) and the U.S. women’s national team following offseason ankle surgery — since Nov. 16.
“All the hard work she’s put in with the medical team, the high-performance team, the coaches, has been amazing, but especially her,” Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said this week. “We can see her finally with her teammates, where she belongs, doing what she loves — which is playing for her team, for Gotham in front of our fans.”
The cheers for Lavelle started in the 31st minute when she rose from the substitutes’ bench to begin warming up beyond the goal line.
At halftime, she shared a hug with Liberty counterpart Breanna Stewart, who joined the crowd at what’s now known as Sports Illustrated Stadium for the team’s annual Pride match.
Lavelle entered in the 74th minute to a sustained round of applause, and wasted little time getting on the ball and showcasing her trademark saucy dribbling. Minutes later, she sent a left-footed shot just wide of the top corner.
She also applied the pressure that led to a Current own goal deep into stoppage time.
The day of mixed emotions ended with the ceremonial presentation of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, the regional club title Gotham won last month, further underscoring where the team is caught at the moment.
There’s another trophy to be proud of and show off, affirming the club’s ambitions to be relevant on an international level.
At the same time, there’s the reality of the standings: Last year’s NWSL semifinalists finished the afternoon in ninth place, outside of playoff position, and faced the prospect of sinking as low as 12th (out of 14) by the end of the weekend.
They are winless in their past four NWSL matches (0-1-3), a stretch dating back six weeks to an April 26 victory over the Washington Spirit.
They have scored just 13 goals in 11 games, despite a wealth of attacking options, and have a goal differential of plus-1.
Kansas City (9-0-2) is the best team in the league and quickly showed why.
Gotham conceded in the third minute off a giveaway by Emily Sonnett, allowing Temwa Chawinga to spring Michelle Cooper for a quick strike. The visitors doubled their lead in the 11th minute on a blink-of-an-eye move up the right side, this time Chawinga converting off a cross from Cooper.
Gotham twice appeared to have pulled one back in the second half, only for both goals to be disallowed. In the 49th minute, Sonnett headed in Sarah Schupansky’s corner kick, but Sonnett was whistled for a foul on the set piece.
In the 63rd minute, Esther González was judged to be offside after collecting a loose ball in the box and slotting home what would have been her league-leading eighth goal of the season.
In early 2026, the Kansas state legislature passed SB 244, a law which prohibits transgender people from using public restrooms on government property that align with their gender identity and establishes a private right of action that allows anyone who suspects someone is transgender and in violation of the law to sue that person for “damages” totaling $1,000.
The law also invalidates state-issued driver’s licenses with updated gender markers that reflect the carrier’s gender identity. In February 2026, transgender people across the state received letters from the state Department of Revenue’s Division of Vehicles informing them that their driver’s licenses “will no longer be valid,” effective immediately. SB 244 also prohibits transgender Kansans – or those born in Kansas – from updating the gender marker on state-issued birth certificates and driver’s licenses in the future.
The same day SB 244 went into effect, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Kansas, and Ballard Spahr LLP filed a lawsuit challenging SB 244 in the District Court of Douglas County on behalf of two transgender men who had their driver’s licenses invalidated under the law. The lawsuit charges that SB 244 violates the Kansas Constitution’s protections for personal autonomy, privacy, equality under the law, due process, and freedom of speech.
“The invalidation of state-issued IDs threatens to out transgender people against their will every time they apply for a job, rent an apartment, or interact with police,” said Harper Seldin, Senior Staff Attorney for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Rights Project. “Taken as a whole, SB 244 is a transparent attempt to deny transgender people autonomy over their own identities and push them out of public life altogether.”
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A Kansas City man was sentenced in federal court for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy and possession of an illegal firearm.
According to the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri, 22-year-old Antoine R. Gillum was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
His sentencing stems from a June 2024 incident in a metro gas station. KCPD investigators contacted Gillum inside and found that he had discarded a 9 mm pistol in an aisle between the merchandise. He also discarded a pill bottle containing multiple illegal substances: cocaine base, oxycodone/acetaminophen and oxycodone.
Officers searched the vehicle Gillum had arrived in and found approximately 32 grams of cocaine base.
On May 6, 2025, Gillum pleaded guilty to one count each of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Jennings. It’s a part of ‘Operation Take Back America,’ a nationwide Department of Justice initiative to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
No further information has been released.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – A crash near a busy highway killed two people and injured two others.
Emergency crews responded to the crash at U.S. 71 Highway and Meyer Boulevard around 12:40 p.m. on Monday, March 2.
When crews arrived they determined four cars were involved in the crash.
Police are investigating how the crash happened.
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
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