The Kansas City Current were reportedly stuck in Kansas City due to a national ground stop by the Federal Aviation Administration ahead of their NWSL semifinal against Gotham FC, scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 15.
ESPN reporter Jeff Kassouf shared on Friday, Nov. 13 that the team had not yet left for the trip east. At around 8 p.m. ET, the plan was to stay in Kansas City and fly into the New York area on Saturday night.
"Our flight was impacted by the Federal Aviation Administration's nationwide ground stoppage," the team said in a statement given to Kassouf. "We are collaborating with key stakeholders, including the NWSL and our charter partner, to identify next steps in order to arrive safely ahead of our match against Gotham FC on Sunday."
USA TODAY Sports reached out to the Current and had not heard back at the time of publication.
The FAA lifted the ground stop at around 8:30 p.m. ET after all flights were called off about four hours earlier. Transportation secretary Sean Duffy said the organization initiated the stoppage after control systems failed, preventing communication with Air Route Traffic Control Centers.
The Current and Gotham FC's semifinal match was moved to 5,000-seat Icahn Stadium due to poor field conditions at Sports Illustrated Stadium, Gotham FC's home venue that they share with Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls.
For the other semifinal, the Utah Royals had safely reached the D.C. area, where they will take on the Washington Spirit on Saturday, Nov. 14.
The ground stop also affected several other sports teams. Baylor and Kansas State were among many college football teams who were grounded, and USC's women's basketball team was stuck in Los Angeles ahead of a matchup against South Carolina.
