Match Report: Kansas City Current start season on winning foot with 3-1 victory over Portland Thorns

KANSAS CITY (March 15, 2025) — The Kansas City Current (1-0-0, 3pts., 2nd place) made its highly-anticipated return to CPKC Stadium Saturday afternoon, as the club kicked off the 2025 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) regular season with a 3-1 victory over the Portland Thorns (0-1-0 0pts., 13th place). Reigning NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga picked up exactly where she left off in 2024, scoring a goal just four minutes into the contest to give the Current a lead it would not relinquish.

Forward Michelle Cooper notched what would stand as the match-winning goal in the 24th minute on a brilliant strike from distance, and midfielder Debinha rounded out the scoring with her 48th career NWSL regular season goal in the 38th minute. The first-half scoring barrage marked the third consecutive time that the Current have scored three goals in the opening frame against Portland.

"I thought it was great, obviously we wanted to start with a goal, or multiple goals, but I honestly did not expect to score three in the first half, which was a very great beginning for us,” said head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “This was something we talked about in the locker room before the game, we knew there would be energy in the stadium, we knew there would be energy coming from the fans and we wanted to take advantage of it. We wanted to match that energy and capitalize on it.”

The Current welcomed another sold-out crowd to CPKC Stadium in style on a chilly Saturday afternoon and, in fitting fashion, Chawinga scored the first goal of the campaign on an electrifying sequence in the fourth minute. Midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo won the ball in the center of the park and slid a short pass to forward Debinha up the field. Debinha curled an inch-perfect through for Chawinga, who met the bounding ball in stride and lobbed it over the head of Portland goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold. The goal opened Chawinga’s account for the 2025 campaign and marked her sixth consecutive NWSL regular season appearance with a goal.
 
Cooper doubled the Current’s advantage 20 minutes later with a brilliant long-range strike. On the left wing, midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta dished a pass for Cooper, who picked up the ball about 30 yards from goal. Battling through traffic and a Portland defender, Cooper took two touches and fired a strike that found the top left corner of the net.

In the 27th minute, DiBernardo officially hit 15,000 NWSL regular season minutes played in her career. She is the 12th player to do so in league history, and she capped the historic day with a 90-minute performance in the heart of the Current’s midfield.

Goalkeeper Lorena, who made her Kansas City Current and NWSL debut in Saturday’s match, made an impressive diving save in the 36th minute to deny a long-range effort from Portland forward Deyna Castellanos. As Portland looked to halve the Current’s deficit, Castellanos fired a shot from the top of the Kansas City penalty area that appeared headed for the top corner, but Lorena made an acrobatic effort to turn the effort aside. The Brazilian international capped her debut with two saves.

Kansas City continued to push for goals as the first half progressed, and Debinha capped a dominant 45-minute stretch with a goal in the 38th minute. The goal capped an incredible individual effort, as Debinha herself started the Current’s move by winning the ball in the attacking and playing Cooper through on goal down the right wing. Cooper fired a cross across Portland’s penalty area that Arnold dove to collect, but the ball ricocheted to Debinha, who was in perfect position to meet the loose ball and fire it into the back of the net.

The goal marked Debinha’s 48th career NWSL regular season goal, which moved her into a tie with Sydney Leroux and Christen Press for eighth place on the NWSL all-time regular season scoring list. It also marked Debinha’s second game with both a goal and an assist for the Current. Kansas City would ultimately take its 3-0 lead into the locker room.

In the 49th minute, the Thorns pulled a goal back through a finish from midfielder Olivia Moultrie. Kansas City nearly responded with an instant equalizer, but Arnold stood tall to deny a one-on-one opportunity against Cooper.

The Thorns nearly set the stage for a down to the wire finish when, after a VAR review, Portland was awarded a penalty kick in the 79th minute. Moultrie stepped up to take the spot kick amid thunderous roars from Current supporters, and she fired her effort off the crossbar to keep the match at 3-1.

As the second half wore down, two offseason acquisitions added to a day of firsts for the Current. Midfielder Rocky Rodríguez made her Current debut in the 67th minute, helping the Current see out its two-goal victory. Forward Haley Hopkins played the final 13 minutes of the contest for her first appearance in Current colors, coming on in the 84th minute and finishing the match through seven minutes of second-half stoppage time.

The Current have now won two consecutive season-opening matches at CPKC Stadium, both of which have come against Portland. Additionally, Kansas City is now unbeaten in its last 12 home matches across all competitions.

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. Portland Thorns FC
Date: March 15, 2025
Venue: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, MO
Kickoff: 11:51 a.m. CT/12:51 p.m. ET
Weather: 46 degrees, cloudy
Attendance: 11,500

Discipline
14’ Kansas City – Hutton (Yellow)
19’ Portland – Reyes (Yellow)
51’ Portland – Sugita (Yellow)

Scoring
4’ Kansas City – Chawinga (Debinha)
24’ Kansas City – Cooper (LaBonta)
38’ Kansas City – Debinha
49’ Portland – Moultrie (Sugita)

Scoring Summary

Kansas City Current Lineup: Lorena, Wheeler, Sharples, Cook, Ball (46’ I. Rodriguez), LaBonta ©, Hutton (67’ Rodríguez), DiBernardo (90’ Feist), Chawinga, Debinha (84’ Hopkins), Cooper (67’ Prince) 
Unused Substitutes: Ivory, Marta Lacho, Scott, Jereko  

Portland Thorns Lineup: Arnold, Reyes (73’ McKenzie), Perry, Obaze, Torpey, Coffey ©, Sugita (73’ Hanks), Moultrie, Fleming (64’ Turner), Spaanstra (64’ Linnehan), Castellanos (87’ Tordin) 
Unused Substitutes: Bixby, Hiatt, Diane, Kelley, Turner

Pool Questions for Kansas City vs NJ/NY Gotham FC — 15 March 2025
Pool Reporter: Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star
Referee: Alyssa Nichols

Q: What happened on the opening kick off and why did it result in the KC Current retaining possession after the Portland Thorns were initially kicking the ball off to start the game?
 
A: #17 Sam Coffey of the Portland Thorns took the kick off and she touched the ball a second time before it touched another player. An indirect free kick was awarded to the Kansas City Current due to the offense committed by Portland Thorns.
 
Q: On the penalty kick awarded to the Portland Thorns, what did the referee see during video review that changed the on-field call specifically with regard to where the ball struck KC Current #27 (Sharples)?

A: During the review it was determined that the ball made contact with Kansas City Current #27 Kayla Sharples arm that was in an unnatural position and was guilty of a punishable hand ball offence inside the penalty area.