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KC Current general manager resigns after two years in position

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Current general manager Camille Ashton has stepped down from her position after more than two years in KC.

The Current accepted Ashton’s resignation and “wishes her the best in her future endeavors”.

Director of Soccer Operations Caitlin Carducci will be the interim GM. Carducci has been with the club since November and was vice president of Member Programs at U.S. Soccer and the Director of Player Affairs at the National Women’s Soccer League before coming to KC.

Ashton joined the Current in January 2022 helping lead the franchise to the 2022 NWSL Championship and win two Central Division Challenge Cup titles.

The Stanford alum built a perplexing reputation around the league for trading players unexpectedly and without warning throughout her time.

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NJ/NY Gotham FC striker Lynn Williams, who just became the NWSL’s top all-time goal scorer, was traded during the 2023 NWSL Draft to Gotham and was “just as shocked” as people around the league were. The Current took Michelle Cooper with the second overall pick that they received.

Bay FC midfielder Alex Loera was traded to the expansion side in November and wasn’t expecting to be traded either.

Blue Valley Northwest alum Cece Kizer was traded to the Houston Dash for Nichelle Prince in a forward swap in January but also said  “This isn’t something I asked for or expected. No conversation [that] this could happen.”

The Current fell far down the table to 11th out of 12th in the NWSL in 2023 and had an abrupt coaching change hours before a Challenge Cup match against the Houston Dash that the team won early in the season.

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Despite the trading practices of the team, the Current have put together a roster that is undefeated through the first 10 matches of the 2024 season and sits at second in the NWSL at 6-0-4.

Head coach Vlatko Andonovski said he and Ashton worked well together and he applauded her efforts for helping make over the roster.

“Transformed this team from being one of the bottom teams in the league standings to being one of the top ones,” he said. “Hopefully, you know, we can keep it there going forward. But we were able to make some changes and bring players that will impact the success of this team.

“On the other side, obviously, we do respect Cami’s decision and we don’t look at that as a bad or a good timing. There is never a good timing, but like I said, we respect her decision. And going forward, we have no time to look over, we don’t have too much time to look over everything, we have to move on and get ready for the games.”

“I am thankful for my time in Kansas City,” Ashton said in a statement. “It was important to me to dedicate my time and efforts to ensure a successful 2024 season by building the championship-caliber roster that’s currently near the top of the table. I am proud of what we have accomplished here. I look forward to the next step in my personal and professional journey.”

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