Match Report: Kansas City Current seal semifinal berth in NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup with 4-1 win over Tigres UANL

KANSAS CITY (August 1, 2024) — The Kansas City Current (3-0-0, 9 pts., 1st place Group C) clinched a semifinal spot in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup with a 4-1 victory over Tigres UANL (1-2-0, 3 pts., 3rd place Group C) Thursday night at CPKC Stadium. Kansas City midfielders owned the match, as Lo’eau LaBonta, Claire Hutton and Debinha put up goals for the Current, along with defender Ellie Wheeler. Midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo provided two first-half assists. Hutton’s strike was the first career professional goal for the 18-year-old rookie. With the win, Kansas City earned the Group C crown in the club’s first ever international tournament.

"She (Hutton) kept marching forward, she kept getting better from game to game, she kept proving to herself first and foremost that she's a good pro. She's a player that is not just going to represent this team but a player that is ready to represent her country as well"

Completing the Current’s group stage sweep, Kansas City heads to the Aug. 6 semifinals at CPKC Stadium with the maximum possible points. The Current scored three or more goals in each Summer Cup match for a total of 10 goals in three games.

With a Group C win on the line, Kansas City kept the ball flowing in the first half. Starting the action in the seventh minute, defender Hailie Mace intercepted a Tigres pass and lofted the ball toward goal for a diving Debinha, who narrowly missed the back post tap-in.

In the 23rd minute, a foul to forward Michelle Cooper set up DiBernardo for a set piece outside the penalty box. The midfielder served up a textbook ball for LaBonta, who powerfully headed it past Tigres goalkeeper Aurora Santiago to put the Current ahead. Six minutes later, DiBernardo earned her second assist of the game, crossing the ball into Wheeler, who leapt to connect with the cross. Wheeler’s header shook the net for her first goal of the tournament.

In a final first half push, Tigres transitioned to create a shot for forward Stephany Mayor, but goalkeeper AD Franch’s diving save kept the Liga MX Femenil club scoreless through the half.

On the attack in the 56th minute, Tigres forward Thembi Kgatlana dished the ball to midfielder Jacqueline Ovalle, who slid it back to her in the box. Franch stepped to cut off the shot, but Kgatlana’s ball clipped her heel and careened back into the net to make the score 2-1. The Current were not satisfied for long, as Debinha responded with a spectacular strike just one minute later. Midfielder Bayley Feist stripped the ball from Tigres in the box, where Debinha spun to settle it before punching the ball into the back of the net in the 57th minute. This marked the midfielder’s third goal of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, the second-highest total of any player in the competition.

Coming back into Kansas City territory, Tigres’ Ovalle fired a low shot toward goal, but Current midfielder Claire Hutton stepped in to make the goal line save in the 69th minute. Hutton struck next in the 79th minute, this time on offense. Hutton took control of a throw in from defender Izzy Rodriguez and chopped the ball around a Tigres defender. The midfielder took the shot from the corner of Tigres’ 18-yard box, curving in her first professional goal at an unstoppable angle.

“Anyone knows, to score your first professional goal is just surreal,” Hutton said. “So, to finally be able to do it is amazing and being able to do it for Kansas City is unreal.”

Seasoned defender and two-time NWSL Champion Alana Cook also made her club debut Thursday, shoring up the back line for the full 90 minutes as the match ended 4-1.

With the win, Kansas City advanced to Tuesday’s semifinal round. The Current will play a to-be-determined opponent at either 4 p.m. CT or 8 p.m. CT at CPKC Stadium. The Current are poised to take the No. 1 or 2 spot from the club’s dominant group stage play. Tickets for the NWSL Semifinal Doubleheader are available to purchase here. Championship tickets are available to purchase here.

NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup Match Report
Match: Kansas City Current vs. Tigres
Date: Aug. 1, 2024
Venue: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Kickoff: 7:09 p.m. CT
Weather: 89 degrees, sunny

Discipline 
22’ Tigres – Villareal (Yellow)
37’ Kansas City – Wheeler (Yellow)
44’ Tigres – Reyes (Yellow) 
67’ Tigres – Rangel (Yellow) 

Scoring
23’ Kansas City – LaBonta (DiBernardo)
29’ Kansas City – Wheeler (DiBernardo)
56’ Tigres – Kgatlana (Ovalle)
57' Kansas City – Debinha (Feist)
79’ Kansas City – Hutton (Rodriguez)

Scoring Summary

Kansas City Current Lineup: Franch, Wheeler, Ballisager, Cook, Mace (Steigleder 78’), LaBonta ©, Hutton, DiBernardo (Feist 46’), Debinha (Lavogez 71’), Hamilton (Spaanstra 71’), Cooper (Rodriguez 71’)
Unused Substitutes: Hisey, Glas, Long, DeFazio

Tigres Lineup: Santiago (González 84’), Villarreal (Espinoza 71’), López, Ferral (Colín 84’), Rodriguez, Rangel ©, Delgado, Ovalle, Mayor, Kgatlana (Montoya 56’), Reyes (Cruz 84’)
Unused Substitutes: Rodriguez, Sierra, Hernández, Elizondo