Match Report: Early offensive barrage powers Kansas City Current to 3-0 win over Utah Royals

KANSAS CITY (March 29, 2025) — The Kansas City Current (3-0-0, 9 pts., 2nd place) rode another three-goal first half to a 3-0 victory over the Utah Royals (0-2-1, 1pts., 13th place) Saturday night at CPKC Stadium. With a feed from Michelle Cooper, forward Temwa Chawinga opened scoring with a record-tying strike in the 22nd minute, marking her eighth consecutive National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) regular season appearance with a goal. Cooper then notched a goal in the 37th minute and midfielder Debinha rounded out scoring in the second minute of first-half stoppage time.

Goalkeeper Lorena earned her second consecutive shutout as the Current back line turned in another excellent defensive effort, and Cooper recorded a goal and an assist in the same match for the first time in her NWSL regular season career. Another sellout crowd at CPKC Stadium was treated to the Current’s third consecutive victory to kick off the 2025 NWSL regular season as the club pushed its home unbeaten streak to 13 consecutive matches in all competitions.

"We were happy with the second half because we were able to manage the game properly and not give up a goal," said head coach Vlatko Andonovski. "We just wanted to make sure that we attacked a little bit smarter and didn't give them any chances or any opportunities. I thought as a team we showed maturity.'"

After a cagey few minutes to open the contest, Chawinga nearly put the Current ahead in the ninth minute. Debinha flicked a ball forward for Cooper down the right wing, who had space to drive towards goal. Cooper slid a ball for Chawinga at the back post, but her shot sailed high.

Linkup play between Cooper and Chawinga quickly became a theme of the opening 45 minutes. In the 22nd minute, a well-worked move put the Current ahead for good. The sequence started with Chawinga near midfield, who held off a Utah defender and flicked the ball forward for Debinha. After feeding the ball back to Chawinga, the forward rolled the ball out wide for midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo who played Cooper through in the right side of the Royals’ penalty area. Cooper’s first attempt was denied by a Utah defender before her second effort found a wide-open Chawinga in the center of the six-yard box. Chawinga hammered the ball home for her third goal of the year to give the Current a 1-0 lead.

Chawinga nearly doubled the Current’s advantage in the 25th minute. Racing forward on a through ball from midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta, she capitalized on a breakaway opportunity, but the goal was disallowed after VAR review.  
 
In the 37th minute, Chawinga and Cooper combined again for the Current’s second goal of the contest. Debinha won the ball in midfield and slid a pass forward for Chawinga down the left flank. From the corner of the Royals’ penalty area, Chawinga curled a cross that deflected off a Utah defender and found a wide-open Cooper at the back post. Cooper fired the ball into the back of the net to double Kansas City’s advantage.

The Current continued to push as the opening frame wore on and, for the second consecutive home match, the team notched three first-half goals after Debinha got on the board. As the Current forced a turnover and pushed forward, an attempted through ball by DiBernardo was met with a sliding challenge by a Utah defender. However, the ball broke perfectly for Debinha who rolled a composed finish into the back of the net for Kansas City’s third and final goal of the contest.

The tally marked Debinha’s 49th career NWSL regular season goal and second of the 2025 campaign. She is just one away from the 50-goal mark, a milestone only seven players in NWSL history have reached.

Not only did Saturday night’s contest mark the second consecutive home match that the Current registered a trio of first-half goals, but the goals were also scored in the exact order as Kansas City’s three-goal first half against Portland on March 15. The Current have now scored three goals in the first half seven times in franchise history.

Kansas City stifled Utah in the second half by not allowing a shot from open play as the Current ultimately saw out the 3-0 victory. Forward Bia Zaneratto made her highly anticipated return to the pitch in the 72nd minute after being removed from the season-ending injury list on Friday. Making her first appearance for the Current in 175 days, Zaneratto played the final 18 minutes of the contest.

Kansas City has now won three consecutive contests to open the 2025 NWSL regular season, which is tied for the third-longest winning streak to open a campaign in NWSL history. Only three teams in league history have begun the season on a four-match winning streak.

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.

NWSL Match Report
Match: Kansas City Current vs. Utah Royals FC
Date: March 29, 2025
Venue: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. CT/5:30 p.m. MT
Weather: 78 degrees, partly cloudy
Attendance: 11,500

Discipline  
73’ Utah – Pogarch (Yellow)
75’ Utah – Thomsen (Yellow)

Scoring
22’ Kansas City – Chawinga (Cooper)
37 Kansas City – Cooper
45+2’ Kansas City – Debinha

Scoring Summary

Kansas City Current Lineup: Lorena, Wheeler, Sharples, Cook, I. Rodriguez (84’ Mace), LaBonta ©, Hutton (72’ R. Rodríguez), DiBernardo (72’ Zaneratto), Chawinga (84’ Hopkins), Debinha, Cooper (55’ Prince)
Unused Substitutes: Ivory, Ball, Feist, Marta Lacho 

Utah Royals Lineup: McGlynn, Del Fava ©, Tejada, Pogarch (78’ Rabano), Thomsen (88’ Dorsey), Zornoza, Foederer (72’ Cluff), St. Georges (78’ Mozingo), Fraser (72’ Ream), Sentnor, Tanaka
Unused Substitutes: Rocque, Nagai, Solorzano, Flynn