Kansas City Current forward Temwa Chawinga says individual awards are no longer enough, with the two-time NWSL MVP setting her sights on the one prize still missing from her NWSL collection, a Championship win. Chawinga has won the league's MVP and Golden Boot awards in each of her first two seasons in the United States, but Kansas City have been unable to translate their regular-season success into the championship. That frustration has been compounded by another near miss with Malawi, who made a stunning run to the Women's Africa Cup of Nations final in July before losing 3-0 to Cameroon.

For Chawinga, those disappointments have only made her more determined to claim the NWSL title. "Everyone on the team knows we need to get back to the championship game," Chawinga told ESPN. "It's not enough just to reach the final. We want to win it. We're working hard every day in training because we want to be in the best possible shape."

Kansas City know all about getting close. The Current reached the NWSL Championship in 2022, losing 2-0 to the Portland Thorns, but have not returned since. They reached the semifinals in Chawinga's first season in 2024 before losing 3-2 to eventual champions Orlando Pride. A year later, the Current dominated the 2025 regular season, finishing 21-3-2 and winning their first NWSL Shield with a league-record 65 points. But their hopes suffered a blow when Chawinga suffered an injury and missed the playoffs.

Chawinga had already done her part during the regular season, scoring 15 goals to earn a second consecutive Golden Boot, following the league-record 20 she scored in 2024. She also became the first player in NWSL history to win the MVP award in consecutive seasons. She told ESPN she wanted her achievements to inspire young girls in Africa.