Match Preview: Kansas City Current host Pachuca for first international match in NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup

KANSAS CITY (July 26, 2024) –– The Kansas City Current (1-0-0, 3 pts., 2nd place Group C) will match up against Liga MX powerhouse Pachuca (0-1-0, 0 pts., 3rd place Group C) for both squads’ second match in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup Saturday, July 27 at 7 p.m. CT. The Current continue its lengthy homestand this weekend, inviting CPKC Stadium’s first ever international opponent for the second group stage match. The match will broadcast on Paramount. Fans in Kansas City can listen to the match on 90.9 The Bridge in addition to the KC Current App in English and Spanish.

The Current began its Summer Cup campaign with a 3-1 victory against the Houston Dash July 20. Scoring 55 seconds after kickoff, Michelle Cooper brought the team to an early lead, notching Kansas City’s first goal in an international tournament. Cooper now has the two fastest goals in club history.

Houston midfielder Yuki Nagasato evened out the score in the 20th minute, but the Current pursued victory relentlessly with 21 shots, finally taking the lead in the 68th minute as Kristen Hamilton returned to the field. Feeding a pass to midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta following a long free kick floated into Houston’s penalty area, her powerful strike escaped through the Dash goalkeeper’s gloves and into the goal. Hamilton got her own chance 15 minutes later, intercepting a back pass for a breakaway goal, reaching a milestone of 40 goals across all competitions. Only 16 players in NWSL history had accomplished this feat before Hamilton.

Pachuca opened the tournament against fellow Liga MX Femenil representative Tigres UANL, falling 4-2 as the visiting team in Nuevo Leon, Mexico last Friday. Pachuca forward Charlyn Corral, Liga MX Femenil’s top scorer, found the first goal of the match after a field-spanning run to net the ball near post. Just five minutes later, Tigres tied up the match and quickly added two more goals at the beginning of the second half. Corral found the back of the net for a second time, but Pachuca’s efforts were not enough to keep the Tigres at bay for a fourth goal. The result puts the Current in a close second for Group C, behind Tigres UANL due to the goals scored tiebreaker.

NEW FACES
The Kansas City Current have signed two new players ahead of the match against Pachuca. Midfielders Sabrina Weinman and Janae DeFazio will join Grace Bahr as National Team Replacements.

Weinman comes to Kansas City from the USLW league’s Northern Colorado Rain. She had 10 appearances for NoCo with three goals. Prior to that she was an integral player for the San Jose State Spartans, playing 79 games, scoring 12 goals and five assists in her collegiate career.

DeFazio played her collegiate career at UCLA. In Kansas City she gets the chance to play alongside one of her fellow Bruin idols in Hailie Mace. DeFazio made 37 appearances for UCLA in a midfield role.

MEET PACHUCA!
The club matched its best league performance yet for the Clausura 2024 tournament, which began in January, finishing second with only one loss in league play. Called Las Tuzas, or the Gophers, Pachuca was established in 2016 as one of the founding members of the league and became the first women’s Mexican club to win an official tournament when Pachuca won the Copa MX Femenil. Drawing loyal crowds, Pachuca is home to some of the most iconic players in Liga MX Femenil and in women’s football such as forward Monica Ocampo, and Mexico National Team goalkeeper Esthefanny Barreras. Las Tuzas also boast the first exclusive training center for a women’s team in Mexico, which was inaugurated in 2018.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas City Current defender Ellie Wheeler – Since being drafted to the Current in 2024, Wheeler’s versatility has been on display as she takes on any position with ease. The rookie scored in her first ever professional game and has appeared in 14 matches for Kansas City. She led the team in final third entries and touches on the ball against Houston for the first group stage match.

Pachuca forward Charlyn Corral – Corral is an offensive threat to any team as a Liga MX Femenil-renowned goal scorer with two golden boots to her name. Corral has scored a brace in her last three games across all competitions, including Pachuca’s last match against Tigres UANL. She has already scored 26 goals since January 2024.

NEW OPPONENT, WHO DIS?  
Pachuca and Kansas City have never faced each other before. Like the Current, Las Tuzas started its season on top with a victorious 5-goal showing July 4. Two of the highest scoring teams in the clubs’ respective leagues, bringing Kansas City and Pachuca together in this tournament is likely to be a thrilling matchup. Both teams are also coming into the Summer Cup from league successes, as Pachuca leads Liga MX Femenil two games into the Apertura 2024. Showcasing unique tactics and talents, CPKC Stadium’s first international match will be an opportunity to experience its electric atmosphere in front of a new opponent.

GOLD vs. ORO  
Kansas City’s Temwa Chawinga is a powerhouse, scoring 12 goals in 16 matches so far in the regular season. She currently leads the golden boot race in the NWSL and won the Chinese Super League’s golden boot award in 2023. The world’s leading goal scorer in 2023, Chawinga scored a whopping 63 goals across all competitions for club and country. One of the few who could challenge her, Pachuca’s Corral was one of only two players to outscore Chawinga in league play in 2023 with 34 goals to Chawinga’s 30, earning the award for top division goal scorer. Corral is on pace to lead Liga MX Femenil through 2024 as well after scoring 22 goals in the first of two league tournaments during the year.

Availability Report: 
OUT:  Elizabeth Ball (leg), Temwa Chawinga (leg), Alex Pfeiffer (SEI-knee), Izzy Rodriguez (ankle), Gabrielle Robinson (SEI-knee), Mallory Weber (SEI - knee), Bia Zaneratto (Foot)

QUESTIONABLE: None

INTERNATIONAL: Lauren (BRA), Nichelle Prince (CAN), Desiree Scott (CAN)