HOUSTON (Aug. 8, 2026) — Midfielder Debinha made NWSL history Saturday night as the Kansas City Current (9-7-3, 30 pts., 6th place) played to a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dash (5-8-5, 20 pts., 13th place) at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas. In the 44th minute, midfielder Croix Bethune and Debinha kickstarted a clinical Current counterattack that culminated with Debinha’s 83rd career goal across all NWSL competitions. The goal vaulted Debinha into first place on the NWSL’s all-time scoring leaderboard on an assist from Bethune, who extended her franchise record single-season assist tally to eight. However, the Dash equalized from the penalty spot in the second half as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
The Current generated several scoring chances throughout the first half before their breakthrough. In the 14th minute, Debinha attempted to lob Dash goalkeeper Jane Campbell in a one-on-one opportunity, but the effort sailed just high of the crossbar. Defender Elizabeth Ball made a spectacular tackle to deny a potential Houston breakaway 13 minutes later, launching a moment of transition as Kansas City sent numbers forward. Debinha passed a ball out wide for forward Amelia White who took a touch and fired a strike that Campbell denied before defender Izzy Rodriguez’s follow-up shot went high.
Kansas City’s go-ahead goal came in the 44th minute with a well-executed counterattack. The sequence started with a Houston corner kick, which midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta steered ahead for Bethune from the top of the Current’s own penalty area. Bethune burst ahead then played a ball beyond the halfway line for Debinha. With just one defender around, Debinha played it back for Bethune as the ball entered the attacking third, then Bethune completed the give-and-go to Debinha on the top of the 18-yard box. Debinha raced onto the loose ball and clipped a shot that ricocheted off a Dash player before looping over the head of Campbell and nestling into the bottom right corner of the goal.
Debinha’s historic and record-setting 83rd career goal across all NWSL competitions broke the tie she previously shared with Lynn Biyendolo, and the Brazilian is now one of only two NWSL players to score in every possible NWSL competition along with Christine Sinclair. Her goal was also the 59th of her NWSL regular season career, tied for fifth on the league’s all-time regular season scoring leaderboard.
Bethune, who made her 50th regular season start, extended her club record for single season assists to eight. She also became the second youngest player in NWSL history with 20 career regular season assists and the 20th player in league history to reach the milestone. Additionally, Bethune is the second-fastest player in NWSL history to reach 20 assists, doing so in just 56 regular season appearances.
The Dash responded in the second half with a flurry of opportunities. In the 59th minute, Houston midfielder Maggie Graham fired a low strike from inside the penalty area that goalkeeper Marisa Jordan got her fingertips to, ultimately pushing the effort off the post before Kansas City cleared its lines. Ball headed away another goal-bound effort from Graham in the 73rd minute following a cross sent into the Current’s 18-yard box.
Houston leveled the contest from the penalty spot in the 81st minute through forward Kat Rader, who converted the spot kick after the referee called a foul on the Current inside the penalty area. Neither side could find a breakthrough in the waning minutes of the contest despite chances for both teams, and the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Kansas City remains on the road next weekend as the club pays a visit to first-place Gotham FC on Friday, Aug. 14. Friday’s match from Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J., kicks off at 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET) and will broadcast nationally on Prime Video. Fans in Kansas City can listen to the action over the air on 90.9 The Bridge, and the KC Current App will have an audio feed of the match available in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Current Landing, the waterfront mixed-use district, anchored by CPKC Stadium and the Missouri River, will host a watch party for Friday’s match. Fan entry will begin at 6 p.m. CT. Free tickets can be reserved HERE.
NWSL Match Report
Match: Houston Dash vs. Kansas City Current
Date: Aug. 8, 2026
Venue: Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, Texas
Kickoff: 7:48 p.m. CT
Weather: 85 degrees, partly sunny
Attendance: 7,112
Discipline
70’ Houston – Rader (Yellow)
72’ Kansas City – Scott (Yellow)
78’ Kansas City – Robinson (Yellow)
78’ Kansas City – Hocking (Yellow)
Scoring
44’ Kansas City – Debinha (Bethune)
81’ Houston – Rader (PK)
Scoring Summary
1 2 F
Houston 0 1 1
Kansas City 1 0 1
Houston Dash Lineup: Campbell ©, Chapman (89’ Hammond), Nielsen (84’ Berkeley), Klenke, Patterson, Graham, Harper (46’ Larisey), Colaprico, Ullmark (24’ Van Zanten), Faasse (46’ Schmidt), Rader
Unused Substitutes: DeLisle, Puntigam, Boattin, Ivanovic
Kansas City Current Lineup: Jordan, I. Rodriguez (62’ Sharples), Robinson, Ball, Scott, Feist (84’ R. Rodríguez), LaBonta ©, Bethune, Debinha (84’ Paul), White (62’ DiBernardo), Hopkins (62’ Hocking)
Unused Substitutes: Lorena, Williams-Mosier, Brewer, Gemelli
