By ESPN FC | Created at 2025-03-04 22:53:36 | Updated at 2025-03-05 02:45:10
4 hours ago
Leonard Solms
- Jack of all sporting trades. Author of my 11-year-old self's fantasy story about his road to FIFA World Cup glory. Perfecting the art of writing about people who do what I said I was going to do.
Mar 4, 2025, 05:11 PM ET
Heading into her second season with Bay FC in the NWSL, Racheal Kundananji is expecting better of herself than in 2024, when she was the record transfer in women's football.
Kundananji signed for Bay for what was then a world record fee of €735,000 ($787,600) in a transfer from Madrid CFF announced in February 2024 ahead of the club's first season in the NWSL. The record stood until Naomi Girma's recent transfer to Chelsea.
The Zambia forward scored five goals in her first season, showing glimpses of her best form towards the end as her brace in a 3-2 win over Houston Dash fired Bay into the playoffs.
However, Zambia striker Kundananji is the first to acknowledge that she is capable of more consistent performances, telling ESPN: "I believe that this is the year that we need to show the world something different [to what they've] seen before. I'm looking forward to continuing where I ended from - individually - and also as a team.
"As Bay FC, we are no longer a new team. We now belong to the NWSL because this is our second season, so we need to do something different - something beautiful."
On her own output in front of goal, she said: "I feel like I missed a lot of chances. This year, I won't promise anything, but just watch out."
Kundananji believes that she showed with her brace against Houston Dash that her best performances come when she plays freely, blocking out any external pressure.
She added: "I just need consistency in what I do and overall, just enjoying the game, because as you are enjoying the game, you are able to do everything.
"Against Houston, I was just playing for enjoyment, just to be myself in the stadium and I'm not thinking about other things - [just] focusing on enjoying [it] and giving the fans the enjoyment that they needed, coming to watch the game."
The 24-year-old has developed a technique for dealing with critics from Zambia, reminding herself that whatever they say, they really do want her to succeed: "I don't have pressure right now. The only thing I want is just to enjoy the game.
"Fans might say a lot of things. People in Zambia... When you are not doing well, they are against you, but when you are doing well, they will support you. I've just come up with an idea to say: when they support me, every time they are against me, I will go back and use that support [as fuel].
"I will just go [back] to [the support I had in good times] and say: 'Ok, they still support me. They just want me to push."
Bay FC will kick off their 2025 NWSL campaign against Utah Royals on March 15 (kick-off is at 1:30 AM CAT on March 16).
The next clash with international teammate Barbra Banda's defending champions Orlando Pride is scheduled for June 13 in San Jose (4AM on June 14 CAT).
Kundananji will hope that rather than another clash between a dominant force in the NWSL and a team fighting for the playoffs, the next encounter is a clash between two teams fighting for the title.
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