The Kansas City Current advanced to the championship match of the 2026 Teal Rising Cup, presented by Visit Missouri, with a 2-1 victory over Corinthians SC on Thursday night at CPKC Stadium. Forward Haley Hopkins opened the scoring in the 39th minute and, after the Brazilian side equalized in the 75th minute, midfielder Avery Clark capped her professional debut with a remarkable headed goal in the 82nd minute.
Clark’s header stood as the game-winning goal, sending Kansas City to the Teal Rising Cup Championship for the second year in a row. The Current will face SE Palmeiras on Sunday at 6 p.m. CT. Tickets are available HERE.
Clark was one of several debutants for the Current. Goalkeeper Marisa Jordan made her first start for the club in net, rookie forward Amelia White made her first professional start and rookie defender Kolo Suliafu played the full 90 minutes in her pro debut. Clark was one of three Kansas City Current II players to make their professional debut as second-half substitutes, along with midfielder Itala Gemelli and forward Taliana Kaufusi.
“I’m really proud of them… we play for a trophy on Sunday,” said KC Current head coach Chris Armas. “But most importantly, this is our Teal Rising Week, a week where we’re celebrating women’s soccer in our country and locally for our club and connecting with Corinthians, Club América and Palmeiras. This is very special. We’re grateful that they want to be part of our tournament here…I think we saw some good competition today, and we’ll run it back on Sunday.”
Kansas City and Corinthians traded scoring opportunities throughout a back-and-forth first half. Jordan made a diving stop in the fifth minute to deny an effort from Corinthians forward Jaqueline Almeida, and White fizzed a half-volleyed effort just wide of goal in the 12th minute. The Current nearly found their breakthrough in the 33rd minute after a well-worked team move led to forward Penelope Hocking finding midfielder Croix Bethune in the penalty area before Bethune steered the ball past Corinthians goalkeeper Nicole Ramos. However, the assistant referee ruled Hocking offside.
Hopkins then put Kansas City ahead six minutes later. Bethune kickstarted the move in the attacking third with an incredible individual effort, forcing a turnover in the attacking third and evading a Corinthians defender before finding midfielder Debinha in stride inside the penalty area. Debinha clipped a ball across the face of goal for Hopkins, who settled the cross and drilled a half-volleyed effort past a diving Ramos and into the lower left corner of the goal.
Hopkins, the 2025 Teal Rising Cup MVP, has now scored three career goals in Teal Rising Cup play. Her goal gave Kansas City a 1-0 lead at the break.
Corinthians eventually found a lifeline as the second half progressed, leveling the contest with a well-placed finish from Jaqueline. As Corinthians broke forward in transition, forward Andressa Alves dished the ball out wide for Jaqueline, who took a touch forward and drilled a strike that rippled into the lower left corner of the net.
Kansas City immediately began pushing for the match-winning goal in regulation, and a remarkable finish from Clark proved to be just that. As Kansas City began pressing, Hopkins slid a pass down the left wing for defender Izzy Rodriguez. Rodriguez met the pass and fired a one-time ball to the top of the six-yard mark. Clark darted forward and connected perfectly with Rodriguez’s cross, resulting in a bullet header that ricocheted off the underneath of the crossbar and into the center of the goal.
Clark’s goal came 35 minutes into her professional debut, capping an unforgettable debut for the Kansas City Current II standout. Energized by Clark’s equalizer, Kansas City saw out its one-goal advantage to advance to Sunday night’s championship match with the 2-1 triumph.
In the first match of Thursday’s doubleheader, Brazil’s SE Palmeiras notched a 1-0 victory over Mexican side Club América. Palmeiras earned the lone goal of the contest in the 68th minute, breaking through a resolute Club América defense with a well-worked set piece capped by defender Poliana. Fellow defender Fernanda latched onto a long free kick served into the Club América box and headed it across goal for Poliana, who steered a header from near the penalty spot into the back of the net.
The 2026 Teal Rising Cup, presented by Visit Missouri, concludes Sunday with a doubleheader at CPKC Stadium. The Kansas City Current will meet Brazil’s Palmeiras at approximately 6 p.m. CT as the Current aim for its second consecutive Teal Rising Cup. A clash between Corinthians and Club América at 3 p.m. CT will precede the championship match. Tickets to Sunday’s can’t-miss doubleheader can be purchased HERE.
Both of Sunday’s matches will be nationally broadcast on ION and simulcast locally on The Spot – Kansas City 38. They will also broadcast over the air in English on 90.9 The Bridge and in English, Spanish and Portuguese on the KC Current App. Fans in Latin America can catch all the action Sunday on ViX and in Brazil via ESPN and streaming on Disney+.
Teal Rising Week programming is also set to continue throughout the weekend, highlighted by Friday night’s Teal Rising Skills Challenge at Riverside Stadium and Saturday’s friendly between the United States Women’s Under-20 National Team and Brazil’s Under-20 National Team at CPKC Stadium. More information about Teal Rising Week can be found HERE.
Teal Rising Cup Match Report
Match: Kansas City Current vs. Corinthians SC
Date: April 9, 2026
Venue: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Kickoff: 8:03 p.m. CT
Weather: 73 degrees, cloudy
Discipline
28’ Corinthians – L. Silva (Yellow)
41’ Kansas City – Hocking (Yellow)
84’ Kansas City – Hopkins (Yellow)
Scoring
39’ Kansas City – Hopkins (Debinha)
75’ Corinthians – Almeida (Alves)
82’ Kansas City – Clark (Rodriguez)
Scoring Summary
| 1 | 2 | F | |
| Kansas City | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Corinthians | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Kansas City Current Lineup: Jordan, Bravo-Young (73’ Rodriguez), Suliafu, Ball, Rouse, Bethune (46’ Branson), Feist (63’ Gemelli), Debinha © (46’ Clark), Hocking (73’ Kaufusi), White (85’ Sharples), Hopkins
Unused Substitutes: Cappelletti, Lorena, Brewer, LaBonta, Paul, Robinson
Corinthians SC Lineup: Ramos, Santos, L. Silva, Fuso, Oliveira © (65’ Gomes), Caceres, Monteiro, Alves, Jaqueline, Miranda (65’ Rhaizza), Demoner
Unused Substitutes: Ri. Silva, Rodrigues, Ra. Silva, Olivan, Correa, Godoi
