KANSAS CITY (July 27, 2024) — The Kansas City Current (2-0-0, 6 pts., 1st place Group C) remain unbeaten in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup Saturday night at CPKC Stadium, with a 3-0 win over Pachuca (0-2-0, 0 pts., 4th place Group C). A first-half brace from midfielder Debinha put the Current ahead inside the first 30 minutes of the match, and forward Kristen Hamilton capped the scoring with a goal in the 32nd minute. The victory placed the Current atop Group C with one group stage match remaining.
Kansas City closes group stage play August 1 against Tigres UANL, who are also unbeaten heading into their Sunday match against the Houston Dash, as the Current look to secure a place in the semifinal round.
“One of the things we talked about before the game was that we wanted to start out fast, we wanted to start out intense and we wanted to impose ourselves to the opponent and set the tempo,” said head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “We wanted to be the ones to control the tempo.“
The Current wasted little time in its first-ever international match at CPKC Stadium, putting pressure on Pachuca from the opening kickoff. Debinha had two quality chances inside the first ten minutes and combined with midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo for a shot that sailed just high.
Debinha found the back of the net in spectacular fashion a few minutes later. Midfielder Bayley Feist steered a second-chance ball following a Current corner kick back into Pachuca’s penalty area, and defender Hanna Glas drove the ball to Debinha about 25 yards from goal. Debinha fired a one-time strike into the top corner of the goal to give the Current a lead that ultimately would not be relinquished.
After Debinha put the Current ahead 1-0 in the 12th minute, Kansas City continued to pile up quality scoring chances. Debinha then broke through again in the 28th minute to put the Current ahead 2-0. Hamilton got to the endline and dished a knee-high cross across goal. Debinha met Hamilton’s cross on the run, leaping to pick the ball out of the air and hammer a shot off Pachuca goalkeeper Esthefanny Barreras’ fingertips and into the back of the net.
Midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta started the final drive to score with a picturesque diagonal ball towards the end line for forward Michelle Cooper, who raced past a Pachuca defender to keep the ball in play. She fired a low cross to a wide-open Hamilton at the back post, and Hamilton tapped the ball into an empty net for the Current’s third goal of the contest.
Hamilton’s 32nd minute goal ended up being the Current’s final goal of the match, but it provided more-than enough cushion for Kansas City in the second half. Pachuca generated a few dangerous scoring opportunities in the second frame, forcing a few important stops from Current goalkeeper AD Franch, but Kansas City ultimately held its 3-0 lead for the duration of the match.
The second half also provided opportunity for Janae DeFazio, signed by the club as a National Team Replacement, to make her professional debut. DeFazio entered the match for Glas in the 68th minute. Three-time NWSL Champion Allie Long, who has played nearly 15,000 minutes in her decorated professional career, made her club debut in the 77th minute. Long was announced as an Injury Replacement Player prior to tonight’s match.
The Current wrap up group stage play Thursday, August 1 with a heavyweight showdown against Tigres UANL at 7 p.m. CT. Thursday’s match will help to determine whether the Current will advance to the semifinal round, which will be played August 6 at CPKC Stadium. Tigres plays Houston Sunday for its second group stage match. Unlike NWSL Regular Season matches, tickets to Summer of Soccer matches at CPKC Stadium are available for purchase now on KansasCityCurrent.com.
NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup Match Report
Match: Kansas City Current vs. Pachuca
Date: July 27, 2024
Venue: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Kickoff: 7:09 p.m. CT
Weather: 80 degrees, cloudy
Discipline
36’ Pachuca – Díaz (Yellow)
67’ Pachuca – Ibarra (Yellow)
77’ Pachuca – Valadez (Yellow)
Scoring
12’ Kansas City – Debinha (Glas)
28’ Kansas City – Debinha (Hamilton)
32’ Kansas City – Hamilton (Cooper)
Scoring Summary
| Goals | 1 | 2 | F |
| Kansas City | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Pachuca | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kansas City Current Lineup: Franch, Glas (68’ DeFazio), Ballisager, Mace, Wheeler (77’ Long), LaBonta ©, Feist, DiBernardo (68’ Hutton), Debinha, Hamilton (62’ Lavogez), Cooper (46’ Spaanstra)
Unused Substitutes: Silkowitz, Hisey, Bahr, Weinman
Pachuca Lineup: Barreras, Robles, Nieto, Soto, Corral, Ocampo © (70’ Valadez), Pereira, Nicosia, Diaz (46’ Godínez), Gonzalez (76’ Pérez), B. Ibarra (40’ F. Ibarra)
Unused Substitutes: Fragoso, Holguín, V. Sánchez, E. Sánchez, Vidrio
