Temwa Chawinga reaches major milestone on injury return

On her return from injury, Temwa Chawinga wasted no time in writing yet another piece of history into the folklore of American side Kansas City Current on Saturday.

“SHE’S BACKKKKK” 🥹@gabby8411 is all of us rn having Temwa back on the pitch 🩵 pic.twitter.com/sMgOwoVluN

— KC Current (@thekccurrent) April 4, 2026

The Malawian international marked her return to competitive action with a vital assist for the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) side as they edged Gotham FC 2-1 at CPKC Stadium.

It was the first appearance for the 2025 FIFA Women’s Best Footballer of the Year in 168 days, after she was finally removed from the season-ending injury list on Friday.

What the Milestone Means for Chawinga

During the encounter, the visitors took the lead when forward Jaedyn Shaw’s curled effort found the bottom right corner in the 28th minute. The goal jolted the hosts into action, and they eventually levelled matters through Debinha in the 37th minute, courtesy of Chawinga’s brilliance.

Michelle Cooper sent in a cross for Chawinga, who flicked the ball behind her for a trailing Debinha to calmly roll into the bottom left corner for the equaliser. Three minutes later, the Scorchers star was replaced by Haley Hopkins as part of her managed return. The first half ended with the two teams deadlocked at 1-1.

In a match report on their website, Kansas City Current confirmed the assist marked a historic milestone for the Malawian, as she became the first player in club history to reach 10+ regular season goals and 10+ regular-season assists.

How Kansas City Fought Back

City Current snatched the winner on the hour mark when Michelle Cooper fired home from inside the penalty box. Kansas City coach Chris Armas hailed his players for showing the character required to bounce back after trailing.

“The way this team shows up every day, the belief they have in each other… going down a goal and coming back once again to defend this fortress just makes a coach really proud,” said Armas. “Big win for our players and for our fans, who were amazing once again.”

The victory ended a three-game losing streak for Kansas City, who now sit in ninth place on the NWSL log with six points.