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Why Temwa Chawinga’s record-breaking debut NWSL season is more impressive than you think

She’s both a winger and a poacher. Even with 19 goals and counting, the KC Current forward is more than the stats say

Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Temwa Chawinga is a record-breaker in the most unconventional way.

The Kansas City Current forward became the top goal scorer in a single National Women’s Soccer League season on Saturday when she tallied her 19th goal, surpassing Sam Kerr’s mark in 2019.

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That stat along means Chawinga has exceeded expectations in her first NWSL season. What makes her adaptation to the league even more interesting is that Chawinga’s expected statistics do not reflect her actual output on the pitch. In other words, she shouldn’t be performing at this level if we solely rely on the data. There is more to Chawinga’s achievement than meets the eye.

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After spending much of her recent career in China, the Malawian international moved to Kansas City to provide depth and a clinical striking option for head coach Vlatko Andonovski’s side. While her contributions were expected to be strong, her actual output has given the Current a massive upswing in the table from last year’s second-bottom finish. The Current sit in fourth after starting the season on a 15-game unbeaten run. Kansas City has entertained this season with scorelines of 6-3, 5-4, and 5-2, and Chawinga has been pivotal to this free-flowing goal-scoring form from the Current.

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Chawinga’s progression throughout the season has been clear. We’ve analyzed how Chawinga has scored her goals and how she’s become one of the most dangerous forwards in the NWSL.

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