Preview: NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup

Two leagues, two countries and indescribable talent sums up the upcoming NWSL x LIGA MX Femenil Summer Cup as it rears up for kick off July 19. With five matches at CPKC Stadium, including the semifinals of the competition August 6, the Kansas City Current’s international summer of soccer is beginning soon in the club’s own backyard.

The Current have been on a tear during the start of the 2024 season, as the club rode a 15-match unbeaten streak to second place on the NWSL table as the league breaks for the Olympics. As the leading goal scorers of the NWSL, international matches will provide a new challenge for the top offense in the league.

This groundbreaking inaugural competition will pit clubs --- many of which have never matched up before --- against each other for an exciting international showcase of talent. For the first ever combined tournament between the leagues, all 14 NWSL clubs will face the six top contenders from Liga MX Femenil in the group stage of the tournament. The tournament's group stage will be 30 matches, split among the five groups of four teams each. Only the four out of five group winners with the most points earned will advance to the semifinals held at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City.

The Current are in Group C alongside the Houston Dash and two Liga MX Femenil clubs: Tigres UANL and CF Pachuca. As the only group with more than one Mexican club, the Current’s group is likely to be one of the most unpredictable as the teams face unique styles of play.

Liga MX Femenil is the top division of women’s soccer in Mexico, which began in 2016 and has since grown to 18 clubs. The league has been on the rise in the last few years, boosting their international notoriety with notable stars and high caliber tactics. The first tournament of the Liga MX season, Apertura 2024, began July 4 with both Pachua and the Tigres starting at the top of the pack with wins. The Mexican soccer calendar is split between two tournaments, the Apertura and the Clausura, which run through different five-month periods of the year.

The Summer Cup will not be the Current’s first time facing an international team, as the club matched up against LMXF powerhouse C.F. Monterrey in October 2023. The Current claimed a 1-0 victory in the matchup, notching a second half goal and shutting out Monterrey, before the Mexican club went on to win the Clausura 2024 in May. Monterrey will join Group E in the upcoming tournament.

Pachuca and Tigres will face each other at the home of the Tigres to kick off Group C play on Saturday, July 19.  The Current, meanwhile, open the event with a home clash against the Houston Dash July 20 at 7 p.m. CT.

Kansas City’s first international game of the year is set to be a stunner on July 27 at 7 p.m CT. Coming off one of the club’s most successful years, Pachuca, also known as Las Tuzas (Gophers) by their dedicated fans, finished Clausura 2024 as the runners up. Pachuca boasted two of the top goal scorers in the competition, including golden boot winner Charlyn Corral who scored 19 goals in 17 matches. The match up will put the reigning Liga MX Femenil top scorer against NWSL Golden Boot frontrunner Temwa Chawinga for an all-out battle of the best.

Corral scored twice in Pachuca’s 5-0 victory against Necaxa to open the Apertura. Like the Current’s purpose-built training facility, Pachuca has the first in Mexico built specifically for a women’s football team. The facility, named the Malena Patiño Pavilion, was inaugurated in 2018 to show the club’s dedication to developing women’s soccer and giving staff and players a space of their own.

For the Current’s last group stage match, the electric Kansas City team faces the defending Liga MX winners: Tigres UANL.

The Tigres, nicknamed Las Amazonas for their equally intimidating and admirable approach to the game, is the most decorated team in the league with six consecutive titles. The club is one of only four Liga MX clubs to win a title and recently achieved its third Campeón de Campeones victory.

With an already strong roster of Mexican natives, the Tigres recently added Spanish superstar Jenni Hermoso, who is the top scorer for Spain. Las Amazonas is no stranger to loud matches, as the team has played before record breaking audiences of more than 50,000 as the visiting team in Liga MX. Tickets to see KC Current take on the world as part of the International Summer of Soccer are now on sale to the general public. Unlike NWSL Regular Season matches, tickets to these matches are available for purchase now on www.kansascitycurrent.com/international-summer-of-soccer#Tickets

The full schedule for the group stage is below. 
GROUP C: 
Kansas City Current, Houston Dash, Tigres UANL, CF Pachuca 

GROUP STAGE SCHEDULE:
Friday, July 19 - 9pm CT
Tigres UANL vs Pachuca

Saturday, July 20 - 7pm CT
Kansas City Current vs Houston Dash

Saturday, July 27 - 7pm CT
Kansas City Current vs Pachuca

Sunday, July 28 - 7pm CT
Houston Dash vs Tigres UANL

Thursday, August 1 - 7pm CT
Houston Dash vs Pachuca
Kansas City Current vs Tigres UANL