KANSAS CITY (July 15, 2025) — The Kansas City Current emerged victorious in the inaugural Teal Rising Cup, presented by Visit Missouri, earning a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Brazilian Serie A1 club Corinthians SC on Tuesday night at CPKC Stadium. Forward Michelle Cooper put the Current ahead early with a goal in the third minute following a perfectly-placed through ball from midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta. In the 22nd minute, forward Mary Long doubled the host’s advantage with her first professional goal off a feed from Cooper. Corinthians then pulled a goal back in short order to keep the match tight, but the Current’s defense held firm throughout the second half to secure a 2-1 victory.
Tuesday’s win gave Kansas City the inaugural Teal Rising Cup title, marking the club’s third-ever trophy and second trophy won at CPKC Stadium, the first stadium in the world purpose built for a women’s professional sports team. Forward Haley Hopkins was named the Teal Rising Cup Most Valuable Player (MVP). She started both matches and recorded a brace in the Current’s opening match against Palmeiras on Saturday.
“We set a good tone early on, especially in the first 25 to 30 minutes,” said head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “I thought we had a good control of the game, but then they came back and they came back strong and made it very tough for us. Which now, looking back, I’m glad that we won, but I’m also very happy that we won a good-fought game. So it was a great game, a great experience for us.”
The Current wasted little time finding the back of the net in the Teal Rising Cup title match. Defender Kayla Sharples began the move with a crucial defensive intervention on a long ball from a Corinthians defender, and the ensuing loose ball was collected by forward Haley Hopkins. The forward slid an angled pass backwards for LaBonta, who took a touch forward and sliced a curled through ball between multiple Corinthians defenders for Cooper in stride. Cooper let the ball roll, took a touch forward and buried the one-on-one opportunity with goalkeeper Nicole Ramos to take an early lead that would not be relinquished.
Less than 20 minutes later, Cooper dished out an assist as Kansas City doubled its lead thanks to an impeccable finish by Long. Defender Katie Scott sent a long ball forward for Cooper down the right wing in the 22nd minute, and Cooper raced past her defender into the penalty area. Cooper’s low ball met a cutting Long in the middle of the six-yard box. Long steered the ball into the lower left corner for Kansas City’s second goal of the contest, which proved to be the game-winning goal.
Long, who made her first professional start Saturday night against Palmeiras and logged a full 90 minutes, also earned a spot in the starting lineup on Tuesday.
The visitors responded to their two-goal deficit quickly by finding a lifeline in the 25th minute. Corinthians midfielder Andressa Alves curled a ball into the penalty area for forward Gabrielia Maria Demoner, and Demoner headed the ball into the back of the net to cut Kansas City’s lead in half. Neither side could find another breakthrough as the first half drew to a close with the Current ahead, 2-1.
In the 54th minute, the crossbar denied a golden opportunity for a crucial insurance goal for the home team. Forward Flora Marta Lacho weaved through multiple defenders to send a ball forward for Hopkins, who held off multiple defenders before finding defender Izzy Rodriguez down the left flank. Rodriguez drove an effort at goal, but the ball struck the crossbar and ricocheted to Cooper, who had her follow-up effort blocked.
As the match wore on, several key defensive plays and saves from Ivory kept the Current ahead. In the 60th minute, a headed clearance from Sharples denied a threatening Corinthians set piece. Four minutes later, a set piece from near the left corner required an acrobatic save from Ivory, as the goalkeeper stretched to tip a shot from Corinthians forward Eudmilla Rodrigues over the crossbar. Ivory was again called into action in the 74th minute with a diving stop to deny a long-range effort from Corinthians forward Jaqueline Almeida.
The Current ultimately withstood Corinthians’ second half pressure to claim the inaugural Teal Rising Cup with a 2-1 victory. Palmeiras took home third place after downing Chicago Stars FC, 1-0, in the consolation match earlier Tuesday evening.
Kansas City returns to National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) action on Friday, Aug. 1, as the team hits the road to face Racing Louisville FC in Louisville, Ky. The match will be nationally broadcast on Prime Video with a kickoff time of 7 p.m. CT. Fans in Kansas City can listen to all the action on 90.9 The Bridge or on the KC Current App in English, Spanish or Portuguese. The Current’s next NWSL home match at CPKC Stadium is Aug. 16 against the Orlando Pride.
Limited single-match tickets for 2025 regular season home matches are now on sale to the general public. The best way to ensure you won’t miss a second of the action at CPKC Stadium is by joining the Current Club, the Current’s trailblazing fan membership experience. Focused on ensuring fans continue to be able to access exclusive opportunities, members can unlock special benefits like priority access to single match tickets, members-only gifts and discounts, access to live and virtual events, exclusive content and more. 2025 Season Ticket Member Account Holders are already enrolled in Current Club at no additional cost. Click HERE for more information about the Current Club.
Teal Rising Cup Match Report
Match: Kansas City Current vs. Corinthians SC
Date: July 15, 2025
Venue: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Kickoff: 8:10 p.m. CT/10:10 p.m. BRT
Weather: 86 degrees, sunny
Discipline
20’ Corinthians – Silva (Yellow)
47’ Corinthians – Alves (Yellow)
90+4’ Kansas City – Ivory (Yellow)
Scoring
3’ Kansas City – Cooper (LaBonta)
23’ Kansas City – Long (Cooper)
25’ Corinthians – Demoner (Alves)
Scoring Summary
| 1 | 2 | F | |
| Kansas City | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Corinthians | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Kansas City Current Lineup: Ivory, Scott (69’ Wheeler), Steigleder, Sharples, I. Rodriguez, LaBonta © (46’ R. Rodríguez, Hutton, Lacho (85’ Mace), Cooper (75’ Pfeiffer), Long (69’ Prince), Hopkins
Unused Substitutes: Gordon, Mace, Ball, Brewer, Chawinga, Zaneratto
Corinthians SC Lineup: Ramos, Silva (80’ Monteiro), T. Ferreira, Alves, Demoner, Rodrigues © (80’ Gil), Miranda, Silva, Almeida, Gomes, Santos
Unused Substitutes: K. Ferreira, Oliveira, Thais Regina, Passari, Pires, Oliviera, Correa, Godoi
