The Kansas City Current might have just witnessed one of the biggest falls from grace. Imagine celebrating an emphatic 2025 NWSL Shield win just a few weeks ago with a tally of 65 points, maintaining a whopping 21-point gap over the second-place team, only to crash out in the first round of the NWSL playoff quarterfinals against the No. 8-seeded NJ/NY Gotham FC. Boy, talk about injustice. There isn’t one person to blame for this defeat, as the entire team shoulders the accountability, and that’s exactly what Laura Harvey believes as well.

However, the Seattle Reign coach believes there is one piece of advice that, if the KC Current had followed, then they certainly would have won the game. Laura Harvey’s words of wisdom, you ask? “They should have used ChatGPT,” she said, while speaking to the media. Pretty shocking, right? Well, it should be, considering that you don’t hear from a well-reputed coach on any typical day. But believe it or not, Harvey said exactly what you read.

Mind you, this isn’t the first time the former WSL manager has made such a claim. Consider it her tried and tested advice, as days before her side’s NWSL playoffs clash against Orlando Pride, Laura Harvey herself admitted to using ChatGPT to help her side climb from 13th place to 5th place at the end of the season. The 45-year-old asked questions like, “What’s our identity?” and “What formation beats NWSL teams?” for which the AI-based application responded with, “Play a back five.”

And that’s exactly what Harvey followed. “I did. No joke — that’s why I did it. It worked. We won the game,” admitted the Reign boss, sharing how a mere change in formation brought significant changes in her team. Even the numbers won’t lie; after starting their campaign with a draw, Seattle Reign managed only four wins in their first ten matches, while suffering four losses and settling for two draws.

Midway through the season, they weren’t anywhere near the top eight. In fact, they were hovering dangerously close to the bottom of the table. That was until Laura Harvey stepped in, making crucial adjustments that helped the team rise back up to secure a spot among the top five. Naturally, much of the credit goes to the players and coaching staff for their relentless effort and determination.

But ChatGPT takes the cake. The statement sold like hotcakes for the team until it backfired.

The NWSL playoffs caught Laura Harvey off guard despite ChatGPT’s help

The opening round of the NWSL playoffs didn’t just spell disappointment for Kansas City Current. Seattle Reign also suffered a tough 2-0 loss to Orlando Pride. Haley McCutcheon opened the scoring for Seb Hines’ side, and the game stayed that way until the closing minutes, when Pride earned a late penalty as Marta was brought down inside the penalty zone.

Surprisingly, instead of Marta, Luana stepped up to take it and calmly converted. The goal sealed Orlando’s place in the next round but also marked a personal triumph for Luana, who returned to the field after overcoming Hodgkin’s lymphoma following 18 months of treatment and recovery.

We wonder if Laura Harvey used ChatGPT for this clash. She endured a tough beating at the hands of the reigning NWSL Shield and Championship winners. Regardless, the NWSL playoffs take a new turn as NJ/NY Gotham faces Orlando Pride, with the Washington Spirit (defeated Racing Louisville 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw) facing Portland Thorns (won 1-0 against San Diego Wave).