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Armas joins the NWSL power after spending the majority of his coaching career inMajor League Soccer. The former U.S. men's national team midfielder has coached the New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC and Colorado Rapids.

The 53-year-old most recently led the Rapids for two seasons, departing at the end of the 2025 campaign.

Armas has only been a head coach once in the women's game, leading his alma mater Adelphi University from 2011 to 2014.

The New York native has also served as an assistant coach in the Premier League with Manchester United (2021 to 2022) and Leeds United (2023).

"We are beyond excited to welcome Chris to the Kansas City Current family," said co-owners Angie and Chris Long. "He brings an abundance of experience at the highest levels both as a coach and a player and shares in our long-term vision of the Kansas City Current being the best women's football club in the world."

Gotham FC honored with Key to New York City after NWSL triumph

Armas takes over from Vlatko Andonovski, who stepped down as head coach at the end of the 2025 season. Previously serving in a dual role, Andonovski remains with the organization as sporting director.

"We are excited to have Chris in Kansas City, and I look forward to working closely with him as we continue to take the club to new heights," said Andonovski. "Chris brings a wealth of experience that will be invaluable for our organization. His passion for the game is evident, as is his commitment to his players and his winning mindset."

The Current were the best team in the NWSL regular season last year, setting all-time league records for wins (21), points (65) and shutouts (16). But Kansas City was stunned in the first round of the playoffs, losing to No. 8 seed and eventual champion Gotham FC.

Armas is regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in American history, earning 66 caps with the USMNT from 1998 to 2005.

He is one of only five players in MLS history to have been named to the MLS Best XI five times, and he is a six-time MLS All-Star.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:New KC Current coach: Chris Armas takes over

The round-robin tournament will be played as double-headers in three cities: Nashville, Tennessee; Columbus, Ohio; and Harrison, New Jersey. The U.S. finale at Sports Illustrated Stadium will include a ceremony for New Jersey native Tobin Heath, a two-time Women's World Cup winner who announced her retirement from soccer last year.

The United States is currently ranked No. 2 in the world, while Canada is No. 10, Colombia is No. 20 and Argentina is No. 30.

"These are three teams that will likely be in the World Cup in 2027 and of course we'll likely see Canada in World Cup qualifying at the end of the year, so when focusing on our continued preparations and growth as a team, the SheBelieves Cup is of great value," U.S. head coach Emma Hayes said in a statement announcing the tournament field Wednesday. "Each team brings different strengths and will challenge us to find success in all parts of the field, which is exactly what we need as we continue our process to build toward the big events on the horizon."

Canada will play Colombia followed by the United States against Argentina on March 1 in Nashville at GEODIS Park. On March 4, Argentina plays Colombia and the United States plays Canada at Miracle-Gro Field in Columbus. The tournament wraps up in New Jersey on March 7 with Canada against Argentina and the United States playing Colombia.

The U.S. has won seven of the 11 SheBelieves Cup tournaments. Japan won last year's event.

"This competition is a fantastic opportunity to once again measure ourselves against high-quality opponents who are all likely to be at the 2027 World Cup," Canada coach Casey Stoney said. "The SheBelieves Cup has served as a great test for our group in previous years and we're thrilled to be able to return for another chance to win the competition. Each team brings a different style which will pose a challenge and ultimately prepare us to become the team we need to be."

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After courting voters at extravagant parties and film festivals over the last months 2025, a slew of starry contenders were snubbed on Jan. 7 fornominations at the 2026 Actor Awards, including Joel Edgerton ("Train Dreams"), Tessa Thompson ("Hedda"), Julia Roberts ("After the Hunt"),Sydney Sweeney("Christy") and Andrew Scott ("Blue Moon").

The Actor Awards, renamed from theScreen Actors Guild Awards, are reliable predictors of how the Oscars will shake out, given that actors make up the largest branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. But SAG also isn't afraid to take some big swings and have a little fun, with surprise nods for Pamela Anderson ("The Last Showgirl") and Jonathan Bailey ("Wicked") last year.

Here's who else will be sitting out this season's Actor Awards,which will stream live on Netflix March 1(8 p.m. ET/5 PT):

Actor Awards nominations:'One Battle After Another' leads field with 7

Jennifer Lawrence

The Oscar winner has dutifully hit every roundtable and red carpet touting"Die My Love,"a dark exploration of motherhood and toxic relationships. But the polarizing film may have been too off-putting for some SAG voters, who failed to recognize Lawrence's audacious, arresting work.

'Wicked: For Good'

The bubble has popped forthe movie musical sequel, which overperformed at last year's SAG Awards with nominations for best ensemble, best actress (Cynthia Erivo), best supporting actress (Ariana Grande) and best supporting actor (Jonathan Bailey). Grande earned the lone SAG nod this season for her complex and emotional turn as Glinda, the Good Witch of Oz.

See which actors and films were nominated in top categories for the newly renamed Actor Awards. The 2026 honors will be handed out March 1 on Netflix.

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The Actor Awards – See 2026's top nominees in photos

See which actors and films were nominated in top categories for the newly renamed Actor Awards. The 2026 honors will be handed out March 1 on Netflix.

Amanda Seyfried

Seyfried gives two of the most memorable performances of the winter in pulpy thriller "The Housemaid" and hypnotic movie musical "The Testament of Ann Lee," portraying the founder of the Shakers religious movement. Sadly, "Ann Lee" has had a rough time getting eyes on it, and Seyfried was egregiously missing from this season's SAG nominations.

'Jay Kelly'

Conventional wisdom would tell us that Hollywood loves nothing more than a movie about itself. But Noah Baumbach's showbiz traumedy, aboutan aging A-lister(George Clooney) forced to reckon with his paternal shortcomings, was blanked by SAG in best ensemble, best actor and best supporting actor (Adam Sandler).

Jeremy Allen White

At the start of the season,"The Bear" actorwas considered all but locked for his first Oscar nomination forbiopic "Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere."But the brooding drama, about the creation of Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" album, was a box-office disappointment, and White has lost major awards momentum after snubs from SAG and Critics Choice.

'The Smashing Machine'

Thetrue-life MMA dramahas had mixed fortunes all season long: declared an Oscar frontrunner in its Venice Film Festival premiere in September, only to drop out of the conversation whenthe movie bombed at the box office. Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt appeared to bounce back with Golden Globe nominations last month, but have taken another hit with the SAG snubs.

'Sentimental Value'

SAG has famously overlooked countless actors for foreign-language films, recently snubbing Sandra Hüller ("Anatomy of a Fall") and Antonio Banderas ("Pain and Glory") for performances that went on to be Oscar-nominated. Still, it stings to seeRenate Reinsve,Inga Ibsdotter LilleaasandElle Fanningall left out of this year's nominations for their tremendous work in "Sentimental Value," as was expected supporting actor nominee Stellan Skarsgård for the gutting Norwegian drama.

Wagner Moura

TheBrazilian heartthrobhas been a critics' favorite this past year for "The Secret Agent," garnering scores of critics' prizes since winning best actor at Cannes Film Festival last spring. But much like the cast of "Sentimental Value," Moura was always going to be a long shot for recognition from the internationally adverse Screen Actors Guild, despite receiving nominations from the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:SAG snubs Cynthia Erivo, Dwayne Johnson in renamed Actor Awards