Kansas City Current General Manager Caitlin Carducci

When you run a team in the position you're in, that's completely different.

I couldn't agree with you more.

Being the general manager, I vividly remember looking at my husband and being like, people don't usually leave this job willingly.

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L.D., we always get the most dynamic guests on the show.

Super excited for today.

We have the general manager of the NWSL, Kansas City Current, the already holders of the 2025 NWSL Shield, Caitlin Karducci.

Caitlin's interesting,

the journey that she's had, LD, and the path that she's taken to get to where she is now is

pretty awesome.

Manager of member affairs at U.S.

Soccer, Director of Player Affairs at NWSL, director of soccer ops at Kansas City Current.

And it's almost no wonder that she is where she is now as a general manager.

So I'm super excited to kind of tap into that and hear about that journey.

Yeah, Caitlin, thanks for joining.

We know you have bigger and better things to do, although you guys are kind of resting now.

You're like 100 points clear of everyone.

So you're fine.

We're rotating.

We're rotating.

We're not resting.

Smart.

We're trying to figure out what's in the water in Kansas City because it's amazing.

That Missouri River.

That Missouri River, you know, coming straight past the stadium.

You know, get some nice, nice Missouri River water.

No doubt.

So take us through a little bit, Caitlin, for people who aren't aware of you.

Um, just your journey, how you, you know, your brief journey through soccer, and then how you ended up where you are, because it is quite a fascinating journey.

Yeah, it is, it's one of those like peak, like you know, you never know who you're gonna know, when you're gonna know, and what that turns into type deal.

So, you know, I like like most of us, played soccer my entire life, was never

even good enough to do like ODP type stuff, like just was happy to get a scholarship to go play D2

at Ashland University.

And then in law school, I basically realized my favorite thing about law school was helping with the soccer team.

And so that was where I was like,

hey, this, this law thing is cool.

And it was a lifelong dream of mine, but how do I stay in sports?

How do I use this?

And not really,

not really was interested in the agent piece at that point.

You know, you're talking, this is 15 years ago.

It wasn't something I was super intrigued in.

And so I shifted into NCA compliance.

And then after a couple of years there,

found myself at U.S.

soccer and used that NCA compliance to do, you know, fun stuff like international transfers and player registration.

I vividly remember, I believe, Tim waking up at midnight to request your ITC to go to Colorado on like

thank you.

Thank you for that.

That's incredible.

I was like one of those where they were like, can we just make sure that we get it?

And I emailed like the FA and like talked to them.

They're like, We'll get it, don't worry.

And they were like, No, no, no.

And so, yeah, set an alarm, woke up,

hit the button, went back to sleep.

I think you played that night.

So, um, but did that at U.S.

soccer, really enjoyed that piece.

And then that's what kind of branched me into the membership aspect.

Because obviously, everything involving ITCs is external facing.

You're talking to youth members, you're talking to the professional leagues, you're talking to other federations.

And so, branched that into just a little bit more outward-facing, you know, stakeholder engagement, those pieces.

Kind of just hit my limit at U.S.

soccer on that front in 2020.

And, you know, what a what a great time for us all to think about what else we can do with our life.

And then went to the NWSL for 18 months and

was a great experience.

I laugh all the time because I think I, a lot of the rules that I have to follow now, I wrote.

So I have that.

And then went back to U.S.

soccer.

Was really happy to be working with Cindy.

And then that was when they brought JT in,

helped with a lot of stuff there.

And particularly, where another one of those, like, and now you find yourself where you are today, was I got involved in the Friends and Family program, World's Cup, both in Qatar and then down in New Zealand/slash Australia.

And that's where I really started to connect with Vlaco more than anything, was working with him on how we wanted that program to run, you know, for the team and what we wanted it to look like.

Oh, interesting.

Yeah, became very close with his wife, actually.

His wife was the one where, when he started here in Kansas City, he was, she was like, you might want to call Caitlin and see if she's interested in

coming to Kansas City.

And

so, yeah, and he so had a had a coffee with him in Chicago and then

very kindly convinced my boyfriend at the time, now husband, that we needed to just, you know, go from Chicago down to Kansas City.

We're moving our way out west.

Yeah, parted in Columbus, went to Chicago.

Kansas City.

But yeah, got here and

was really happy in my role, you know, really happy just trying to get our, you know, this new, you know, program in place, if you will, you know, young team, still a startup, but brand new coach, brand new staff, a lot of turnover on players and process, and then opening a brand new stadium too.

And never expected to find myself where I am now as far as having, having the GM title, but it was, it was next man up, you know, so there was a gap.

They asked for me to step in.

Um, and I said, if that's what it takes for us to be successful, I'm in.

And we're, we're doing all right on the success front at this point.

So

that's pretty clear.

Caitlin, I'm just curious.

When I hear this story, right, there's you're, you're always part of a team, but when you, when I think of being at the league, you're overseeing everything.

When I think about being at U.S.

soccer, yes,

you're, you're for Team America, for Team USA, for the men's and women's national team but there's a bunch of them you then go to kansas city and there's just one right and and and and also in the general manager role in in nwsl

if if you have the right ownership which i know you do what we'll tap into chris and angie long who are amazing they give you autonomy to say like

go like make this make us a success and i know you have this collaborative team but

what what's the difference in in the day-to-day and the pressures because when you run a team and the position you're in, that's completely different than being a singular voice, you know, a voice amongst many in a room.

Yeah, I couldn't agree with you more.

It was the biggest change for me, even just from an ops standpoint.

You know, I went from, to your point, like when I was, the last time I was singularly focused on like one team was when I was in law school.

So again, like that, that was 15 years ago when I was just focused on, you know, our, our women's soccer team.

So that was, that was a big change.

And it's, you know, changes as far as like your life schedule, you know, just how, how things shift and are different.

And then just the way too, where it's like, you, you live and die by the success of that team.

And obviously everyone measures success in different ways.

We've, you know, this team had

when we got here, it was year four of the club and it had had that like up down, whereas like year one, you know, trying to get it together, candidly, they had like six weeks to start the team.

Year two, found their way into the championship game.

Year three, back bottom of the table.

And so we came in year four and we're like, we've got to stop this yo-yoing.

Yeah.

Oh, knowing that, you know, getting stability and really installing standards and expectations for the players was absolutely something new.

And then being, being the general manager, I vividly remember looking at my husband and being like, people don't usually leave this job willingly.

So we just need to,

that is something that we just need to be ready for.

You know, same, same mentality as I'm sure, you know, coaches and players.

It's like, it's very clear what, what the expectation is.

And yes, you might be given a little bit longer, you know, leash depending on what you're where you're going and where you're coming from and where you're going.

But that was one where, no, you, we've, we are given every resource that we could possibly imagine here.

And so it's, there's little to no excuses not to be taking advantage of that and then seeing the success on the field.

You know, we've been around sports, Caitlin, our whole lives.

And

Tim and I for sure love all sports and we follow all sports.

It's not, people think success with teams is like some accident or you have a good season, but long-term success is not an accident.

And I'll just speak from my experience.

At the end of the wave season, we went to Kansas City to play.

And I'll never forget showing up.

It was the first stadium in NWSL where I walked in and went, oh my God,

sold out.

It was beautiful.

It was specific for the current and the NWSL team, which was unique.

And it was a real, it's just the way I classified it afterwards: like, this was a real soccer environment, a real game, a real stadium.

People around the stadium were so proud.

It felt real.

And I hadn't seen that in NWSL at that point.

And in MLS, it's only very recent.

Around the world,

it's classic.

It's everywhere.

So, can you just speak to the support you get?

And And I was going to ask you, you know, what do you attribute this season's success to?

You guys are, I don't know, 15, 19, 20 points ahead of the next closest teams.

And what do you attribute that to?

And can you just speak to what good ownership and good process and good leadership means to an organization?

It is the biggest difference maker because when you get to a certain point, especially from an ownership standpoint, for the most part, I would say across the board in this league, you now have highly capitalized owners.

There are many, you know, this league went from starting under, you know, millionaires to now I think all of them are, you know, billionaires.

And that's not meant to, you know, be contrite.

That's just factual as far as like what it takes to be successful

in having the capital to back it up.

So a lot of people have that and they have the resources and they have the desire, but it's the how.

And like you said, those difference makers.

Now we have a couple options here in Kansas City that just make it a little easier you know you guys have both played in major markets there's a bit more land in kansas city than there is in new york or chicago or la

but that still takes the the vision of chris and angie long to say we don't need to just play at you know

Children's Mercy Park.

We don't need to just, you know, share a facility with someone else.

Like we're going to invest and we're going to get the land and we're going to put the infrastructure in place.

So that's, that was, that is the difference maker.

Like that is where, you know, we sit there and we do that.

And then their awareness of

not only what it takes to be successful, but their ability to to look at someone like Vlaco and, you know, say, hey, listen, this guy is a genius and we are aware of what he can do and how we should just let him, you know, let him cook, if you will.

They're very involved.

We keep them up to date on as many things as they need and want to know.

But at the end of the day, they've given him a lot of autonomy of who is on the roster and then who is on the field

with their blessing and awareness.

And I think that's what really helps is

they're not involved in a way where they're meddling.

They're involved because they're passionate and they want to know what's going on, not because they're trying to

impart their.

you know, thoughts.

It's more or less like, hey, we want to know who's starting this weekend because we're fans.

So like, who's, what's, what's the rotation look like?

You know, it's more that than it is, hey, you need to, so-and-so needs to play.

It's, it's not that type of thing here, at least, not I've been here.

Well, I want to expand on that because I also want to show Chris and Angie Long a ton of love because they, they are special people.

Um, they are passionate.

They've become good friends of mine.

I actually just saw them recently at FanFest in Kansas City.

You've touched on some of it, but when I think of like Kansas City and the colors and your ability to put butts in seats and this and this in the beautiful stadium patrick and patrick mahomes and his wife being being real part of of the team and as you mentioned chris and angie are fans but they are so passionate and giving and committed does that does that trickle down and and and i say this as a preface to the nwsl has suffered for a very long time

in a lot of ways.

And

so often the women don't feel

loved and needed and respected.

And I feel like with Chris and Angie, they've turned the table there.

Can you touch more on, does that trickle down to the players and to the fans?

Do they understand just how amazing and committed Chris and Angie are?

I think they do.

And we see it mostly when, you know, we have the players who come in from other teams, whether by free agency or trade or, you know, whatever else.

You know, we've got a handful of players who have been here since the beginning of the club in 2021.

And then you have a handful of others who have either

gotten here in the last two years.

And then obviously we had a couple people, you know, show up this year and their experience of playing in the stadium as visitors versus as the home team, obviously, it's night and day and they appreciate that.

But one of the things that I think our players realize, and then also like our opposing players realize, is

our brand, our crest, our colors are everywhere.

It is not a situation where, you know, the Chiefs have been, you know, ridiculously successful over the last seven years or whatever it is, but it's not like you see, you know, the Chiefs logo and that's it.

If you see the Chiefs logo, our logo is right next to it, along with the Royals and sporting.

But it's like, that is a conscious effort that they have made to make sure that there's never a time that anyone can forget that there is, that there are four professional, you know,

top-tier professional teams in this.

in this city and in this market.

So they've, they've gone out of their way to make sure of that.

And I think the players realize it too.

You know, they're, again, you land at the airport, there's our, our colors are right next to everyone else's.

And that's, that's huge just for people to see.

And it's great for fans.

It's great for opposing fans.

It's great for opposing players.

It's just that, that marketability and that knowledge is, is what really helps because then when you see, you know, the crest in the news or on TV or, you know, as a, you know, website or whatever else, like then you, you realize what's going on.

And then you want to get a ticket to the greatest show in town.

That's arguably one of the harder tickets to get.

And they want to come and

experience our game day, which is just a phenomenal opportunity for everyone.

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You talked about players, Caitlin, that have come from opposing teams.

Earlier this year, you traded

for Allie Sentiner, and

she is a

she's fun to watch.

And she's, for people who don't know, just a rising star in the women's game and with the national team now and with the current.

And

how does that process work now?

A lot of our fans are familiar with European football, soccer, MLS that has literally a rule for everything you can imagine is what's the process like to go get a player like that in NWSL and how do you make that happen?

First is obviously the internal buy-in.

So we knew, we knew a couple things going into this season, and then obviously things change as the season goes on.

So we knew that we had a very experienced midfield and just needed to be aware of their performing at the top of their game.

But there will come a time that that might not be the case and we needed to be ready for it.

You want to be proactive in those instances and not reactive.

So we knew that we had talked about, you know, what is what is that next piece of the midfield?

So we'd done that.

And then

once we we found ourselves going into the summer break with without two of our main tents, you know, Dabinia had been injured, unfortunately.

We knew she was going to come back, but we didn't know when.

And then obviously there's a build-up process to that.

You're not coming back from being off for, you know, six to eight weeks and playing 90s immediately.

And then, you know, Vanessa's on maternity leave and expecting her first child.

So knowing that we needed to, we had it, we had a real need then, like an immediate need was key.

So it really started with internally saying, hey, who are players that would fit in our system?

And then you'd say, okay, who's available?

And pretty much, as you guys know, everyone's available until you make the phone call.

That's right.

That's right.

I agree with that.

So, so that's the biggest thing is like, we, we made a phone call, you know, it was called Utah and said, you know, is, is this a player that you're, you're interested in moving?

Not surprisingly, it took a couple calls to see if that did.

Because when you have a player of that caliber, that is so important to your club, you have to be really certain as far as what your next step is if you let them go.

And so once we knew that we had at least a two-way conversation going on, then that's when, you know, Vlacco and I really started talking to Chris and Angie and just saying, like, this is what we think it's going to take.

If these numbers are, are that that we are not comfortable with, then totally get it.

We just need to move on to our, to our next aspect.

So, but yeah, it was, it was relatively simple because

players want to come here.

You know, it's, we've rarely had a situation where we've been interested in a player and the club is willing to move them and the player is unwilling.

Now, there can be any number of reasons for that.

I mean, you guys know your family life, your city, your, you know, whatever else, you know, cost of living, things, you know, what, whether you're playing time, all of those pieces.

But we knew that if we could bring Allie in here, that she would have a great experience in Kansas City.

And then we knew that we would be able to help take her to the next level as far as just our

background of developing players.

And

it's only a couple of years, but like you can't really argue with when you're looking at the players who have come into the environment and the trajectory that they've taken since they've gotten here.

So knowing that we could help her continue to to be to go from being that rising star to just being the star both here and you know internationally so once we got to that point um you know it it came down to the wire i mean candidly it i think at three separate times i was like i think it's dead i think

i think we've i think we've tapped out our resources i think utah is understanding um and then it it's one of those words wait, wait, wait.

And then it came together at the end pretty quickly.

But, but yeah, it was, it was a willing trade partner and and a willing player.

And then, then really it comes down to finances and how that works.

And like we said, I'll keep banging the Chris and Angie long drum of they make sure that we have everything we could ever need or want.

Yeah, it doesn't happen without them.

So the other side of that coin is...

And I think in the men's game,

we know this for certain is the allure of playing in Europe is a big thing for the men, right?

Like no matter what, no matter how great you are or how comfortable you are, you're like, that's just a thing in in men's global football and i and i think when i look at the women's side of the game one it's money for sure it you have to pay players and in order to keep them i i think the other side of it is if they feel loved, if they feel comfortable, which you're creating in Kansas City or have created in Kansas City.

So you're creating a special environment where players want to play.

But how difficult is it to

keep some of the women here who have a desire to go play abroad?

Like,

there's this push-pull sort of aspect to it that I'm curious about.

I think it's something we're constantly going to be not fighting, but working through.

You know, like you said, on the men's game, it's the draw of Champions League.

There's a huge draw of Champions League on the women's side, too.

And especially, you just had two Americans win with Arsenal.

And so, you know, not to mention numerous others with Leon.

I think Allie Krieger was with

Frankfurt when she won.

But anyway, like there is that more recent history of Americans going abroad and then having success, especially in the Champions League.

So I think that that draw and then the

lack of financial constraints that they have compared to what we have, like those are things that we're always going to have to battle.

And to your point, you can.

you know, you can play within the salary cap that you're given and that's how it's going to be.

And that's okay.

That's how you you manage that.

But it is, it's the differentiators of things that don't hit your salary cap and what that experience looks like.

And for us, it's, you will play in a packed stadium.

Yep.

You will, you will be somewhere where we never have to adjust our schedule based on another team.

Your facilities are yours and you will always be the priority.

So there is no, oh, well, there's rain, so we can't train today because the men have to, no, like we'll, we'll go out there whenever we need to.

We have, you know, a six-person grounds crew that's doing nothing except being these patients themed for your use and and nothing more so those those are the pieces that make a huge difference as far as you know you can go to europe and and like i said we we will probably constantly be having those conversations because i think everyone does have that tipping point of of price and it might be salary and it might be you know return on investment that you have to look at from a from a transfer standpoint but I think if we continue to differentiate the NWSL as far as being very, very competitive, top to bottom, where every game matters,

and then knowing that, you know, we're building up to, fortunately, in CONCACAF starting with the Women's Champions Cup and then a FIFA Women's Club World Cup,

we can keep ourselves level from where that goes.

Caitlin, a couple more.

And thanks for taking the time.

This is really enlightening for us and then for all of our listeners too.

How are you, having worked at U.S.

soccer, you understand that side of it and the pull to get women into the national team, right?

And now you're on the club side.

And so can you take us through?

I'm sure you've had these conversations already.

And then I want to talk, my follow-up will be big picture, but

how do you manage that relationship with people you know in U.S.

soccer?

Emma calls players in.

It's maybe during, I'm making this up, but during a playoff run or you're trying to, you don't have to worry about this, but trying to secure a playoff spot, et cetera.

How do you manage that relationship and saying, yes, we'll let you go versus no, we need her here?

And how does that dynamic work?

Because in the men's game, it's certainly a big dynamic.

And how do you manage that?

We have a lot of touch points with U.S.

soccer,

both from, you know, my standpoint.

I'm talking to people at U.S.

soccer.

Vlacco's, I'm sure, talking to Emma regularly.

Our medical team is talking to their medical team.

Our performance team is talking to their performance team.

So there are just a lot of two-way communication lines that are going, and that's fantastic.

You know, when I was at the league, that was when U.S.

soccer was still subsidizing the national team players' league salaries.

So it was a lot more like you had to give in to the federation because you were aware of what was

keeping the league afloat in those, you know, that first 10, 12 years.

And now that the league is a lot more stable, you have a lot less of

that where it's so much so that you're, that you must, um,

give in, or you must send them early, or let them stay late, or, or anything of that nature.

So that's really positive, both for U.S.

soccer and for the league, that we now have that, like, more regular relationship as far as players going back and forth.

Um, I think Emma coming from a club helps a lot too.

Yeah.

She, She very much so gets the idea of like, hey, if you guys are, you know, in the playoff hunt or you're, you know, looking at that, she, she should be able to look and see, like, hey,

where is there a situation where I can look at a player that's, you know, possibly not in the playoffs already?

And then this is a great opportunity for them to come in and get some heavy minutes because I know their season is going to be over, you know, in a week's time versus how do I work with the clubs to manage,

what is best for the player coming in.

And so far, we've had no issues with that.

We've had a bunch of players in, which is great.

We've had five separate players in.

And I don't even think that includes Allie at this point because she hasn't been called in since she got to Kansas City.

So we've.

We've handled that balance really well.

And I hope that that continues with this next window because it's going into the month of playoffs.

So there's going to be eight teams in the league.

Right.

And who knows if we'll know who those eight teams are by then?

Probably not,

given the way the table looks right now.

Yeah.

There will have to be that balance between, you know, fully understanding that these players being called in to play for their country is a phenomenal honor.

You should never, you know, stand in their way.

But making sure that all three parties are aligned on what's best.

in that situation, given any number of circumstances, is where we just need to be willing and able to have a lot of conversations amongst ourselves.

I think that just last question here, Caitlin, just to follow up on that.

I think what you said is so important.

So Vladco came from the net.

He's been with the national team and a club team.

You've been with the national team and a club team.

Emma's been with the national team and a club team.

So you guys have good understanding of all those.

I think we're seeing this on the men's side a little bit with Mauricio Pochettino.

He's never been part of a national team structure.

So it almost seems like he

favors the club team.

He's let a lot of players deal with, you know, go play with their club teams and be part of their club teams.

And some of us are like, well, hold on, what about the national team, right?

So there's a balance there that needs to, I think, be struck.

And I guess my last question, and I witnessed this quite a bit with the wave,

and I'm just going to ask it bluntly.

There are players in the league, and we won't name them, who will literally

not train, miss club games, not want to play club games so that they can get ready in three weeks for a national team friendly, right?

And you know what I'm talking about.

Do you see that starting to shift?

And how do you have those conversations?

Because when I would see that, it blew my mind.

The players would literally just, you know, their team's in the middle of a playoff race and they're just like, no, I'm just going to rest so that I can get my body ready for the national team.

And I was like, whoa, what?

These guys are paying your salary, right?

So are you seeing that shift?

How long will that take till there's, I guess, more value?

And maybe in the men's game, it's actually a little bit too much the other side where players are too

reticent to go in with their national team because their club team needs them and they're paying them and all that.

So, do you see that shift happening and will it continue to shift?

Because I think that that shift needs to happen for NWSL to continue to be prominent and valued the right way.

Yeah, I

so, like I said, it is shifting, it's definitely shifting from where when I was at the league in 2021, it was, you know, that was an Olympic year, um, and Flacco was the coach.

So,

the man I spend a good chunk of my days with, um, was there, and it was, you know, hey, we need a

training camp, and we need this, and we need they need to come extra, and all that type of stuff.

And I think that was the first year, or we were getting close to not having any type of subsidization of national team player salaries.

So we've shifted in a good way, and I think that will continue because I do think that there is slowly becoming that recognition of friendlies versus you know, qualifiers versus international championships hopefully that that continues going it'll be really interesting especially as mls is is either confirmed or allegedly shifting their calendar

if that makes an impact on how that goes because right now you know we're smack dab in the middle of our season during these major tournaments and you know fully understand not only what it means for you know the player themselves but you know having a bunch of nwsl players starting in the world cup or starting in the Olympics and winning gold medals, like that helps.

That helps the brand.

So you won't want to stand in their way.

But to your point at the same time,

we have a job to do here too.

So that'll be really, I think that might be the time if both leagues, domestic leagues ever flip calendars,

if we see that that shift fully goes back to

now what the club game is.

But

I do notice that less and less, and I say this very like positively, less and less are people and players saying, you know, they're basically identifying as a women's national team player as much as they're identifying as a club player.

And I would say, like, five, 10 years ago, it was, I played for the women's national team.

And yeah, oh, by the way, I dabble, I dabble in this stuff.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Whereas now it's like, there's a lot more balance as far as that pride in representing, you know, club and country.

Yeah.

Last comment from And where we're going to wrap this up.

I

totally agree with you.

And I thought that was an interesting dynamic.

A couple of years ago, I have a friend who was an owner in NWSL, and he said, he said, have a look at my team's Instagram.

So I went on their Instagram and he said, you don't see our team on there.

All some of them were posting was women's national team photos.

They weren't posting with their club crest.

And I was shocked at that, but that has switched.

You're right, which is just a great thing for NWSL.

Listen, we can't thank you enough.

This has been informative and exciting and fun.

And we wish you

so much success in the playoffs.

Obviously, the first bit of business is done with the shield, but good luck in the playoffs.

Thank you very much.

Let me know when you guys are back in KC.

We'll get you get you back to CPKC.

Landon, you might enjoy it a little bit more as a neutral party this week.

I love going and beating Kansas City every time.

And last thing, Caitlin, in like three or four years, there's going to be a young lady graduating from the University of Tennessee named Allie Howard.

So if you need a striker up front, let's go.

Allie Howard?

Allie Howard, yes, right.

Put Put her first up on the striker list there.

Yeah, it's amazing.

She's going to put some work in.

I love it.

Tim Howard, the agent, is tough to deal with.

Oh, man.

Those agents.

That agency.

I just take backhanders and bungs.

It's fine.

Caitlin, thank you.

Continued success.

Amazing season you guys have had, and wishing you the very best in the playoffs.

Thank you.

Really appreciated hanging out with you guys.

All right.