Kansas City Current sign Swedish forward with national-team experience to 2-year deal

The Kansas City Current looked abroad for a holiday signing and struck gold (yellow, actually) in Scandinavia, on Thursday announcing the addition of Swede Mimmi Larsson ahead of the National Women’s Soccer League preseason.

Larsson, a 28-year-old forward from Torsby, Sweden, signed a two-year contract with the Current.

She’s played internationally, extensively, with her country’s national team, becoming the seventh KC Current player with international experience.

“We are so excited to welcome Mimmi to the Current,” KC general manager Camille Levin Ashton said in a news release. “Mimmi is yet another example of world class players who want to make Kansas City their home.

“Her experience on the club and international level will make her a great addition to this team. We can’t wait to see her contributions on and off the pitch.”

Larsson spent the past three seasons with FC Rosengard of the Swedish Damallsvenskan. She helped FC Rosengard to league and Svenska Cupen titles in 2020 and 2021 and a berth in the European Champions League. She’s made 77 appearances and scored 31 goals for Rosengard across all competitions.

Larsson has also been representing Sweden since 2010, when she made 14 appearances for the country’s U17 team. She then accumulated 30 appearances for the Swedish U19 and U23 teams before making her senior-team debut in 2016.

In all, Larsson has made 33 appearances with the Swedish National Team, including in the 2017 UEFA Women’s European Championships, the 2018-19 Algarve Cups and the 2019 FIFA World Cup.

“I’m really happy and proud to join Kansas City next season,” Larsson said. “I hope I can help the team to keep winning games and keep developing as a player. I can’t wait to get started.”

The KC Current are coming off a season in which they went from worst in the NWSL (in their first season of competition) to a nearly first-place finish — the Current advanced all the way to the league’s championship game before falling to the Portland Thorns.

The Current will begin their preseason training ahead of the 2023 season sometime after the new year. Last year, the NWSL preseason began in February.