Match report: Kansas City Current wins the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup with a 2-0 win over NJ/NY Gotham FC

SAN ANTONIO, Texas. (Oct 25, 2024) — The Kansas City Current (5-0-0, 1st seed) captured a trophy on Friday night, defeating NJ/NY Gotham FC (3-1-1, 2nd seed) in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup Championship 2-0 in San Antonio, Texas. A first-half brace from striker Temwa Chawinga, set up by two assists from midfielder Lo’eau LaBonta, proved to be a winning combination for the Current as the club won its second trophy of the 2024 season. Friday’s win capped the inaugural NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, marking Kansas City’s name in history as the first club to take home the trophy.

Kansas City was shaky defensively, allowing only one Gotham FC shot on goal throughout the contest. Goalkeeper Almuth Schult scored the shutout in net. The Current withstood Gotham FC’s pressure in the second half, including a total of ten corners, to secure the two-goal victory.

“I hope this gets us to the next one [trophy] now and to the playoffs and to the opponents we will play in the playoffs,” said head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “It has something to do with building a winning mentality. You can’t win a big trophy if you don’t win the small ones too. Whether it’s the Women’s Cup, we won the Summer Cup and now we have the season. I think it’s a good habit to win and I’m glad that as a team and as an organization we’ve started to build that habit and that mindset. And I just hope we get to the next one now.”

“I enjoyed having every single teammate on this team, we have the support of the technical staff and we also have the front office behind us,” LaBonta said. “I don’t know how anyone in the NWSL wouldn’t want to come here anymore, it’s great, we’re having a good time and the win is a bonus at the end of the day.”

Friday’s win, independent of the NWSL regular season and postseason, capped a tournament that featured all 14 NWSL clubs and six of the top Liga MX Femenil clubs. Group stage games were played in July and early August, and both Current and Gotham FC advanced to the championship on Friday after winning their respective semifinal games on August 6.

From the opening whistle, the Current immediately put pressure on the Gotham FC defense. Less than a minute into the game, striker Michelle Cooper almost opened the scoring, but her header from inside the penalty area flew just over Gotham FC goalkeeper Cassie Miller’s goal. The game began to heat up after a series of early offenses from Current as both sides settled into the championship cause and became increasingly close.

Kansas City had its first shot on goal of the game. In the 25th minute, a well-worked passing sequence put Current in the lead. Defender Alana Cook began the play with a pass forward to midfielder Claire Hutton, who quickly turned and pushed a pass forward to LaBonta in the center circle. LaBonta then brought Chawinga forward with a one-time shot that hit the striker with pace and gave him a breakaway opportunity. Chawinga made no mistake, flicking the ball over Miller and into the net to give Current the lead. The goal was the first goal conceded by Gotham FC in the Summer Cup.

In the 30th minute, Kansas City almost doubled its lead. Cooper took advantage of a loose pass from Miller and immediately fired a shot at an empty net, which Miller pulled back to stop it. But Miller’s save went past midfielder Debinha and her shot narrowly missed the target.

Seven minutes later, the Current broke through again with a goal that was their first goal of the game. Hutton initiated the attack, turning sharply and rolling the ball forward for LaBonta near the top of the Gotham FC penalty area. While Chawinga made a quick run in the box, LaBonta found the striker with a one-touch through ball, giving Chawinga another breakaway opportunity. Chawinga doubled Current’s lead with a deft finish, flicking the ball over an outstretched Miller to score her second goal of the competition.

LaBonta scored her second assist of the contest on Chawinga’s second goal of the game. LaBonta’s multi-assist performance marked the first multi-assist game in an NWSL competition of her career, as well as the fourth brace for Chawinga in all competitions in 2024.

In the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, defender Kayla Sharples made a crucial save to keep the Current’s lead at 2-0. Defender Bruninha had a clear view of the goal after a back-and-forth out of the Currents penalty area, but Sharples blocked the shot with a well-timed slide tackle, preventing a dangerous scoring opportunity. The block marked the final action of the first half as Kansas City took a two-goal lead at halftime.

Kansas City had a few chances to score in the second half, but had to sit out much of the final 45 minutes of the game without Gotham FC getting back into the game. Gotham FC controlled the Current by a significant margin, scoring a total of ten corners, but Kansas City’s lockdown defense helped secure the shutout victory.

Following Friday’s win, the Current will turn their attention back to the NWSL regular season as the club continues to prepare for its postseason push. Kansas City’s final game of the 2024 NWSL regular season will be next Saturday, November 3rd against the Chicago Red Stars. Next Saturday’s contest begins at 2 p.m. CT and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Fans in Kansas City can watch the action on 90.9 The Bridge or the KC Current app.

The Current players are guaranteed at least one home playoff game at CPKC Stadium, but the chance to climb up the standings is still open. With a place in the top two of the NWSL final standings, the Current would not have to play a single postseason game outside of the friendly areas of CPKC Stadium should Kansas City continue to advance.

Season ticket members currently have priority access to purchase playoff tickets at CPKC Stadium. The early access window for tickets for current club members begins Monday, October 28th.

NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup match report
Game: Kansas City Current vs. NJ/NY Gotham FC
Date: October 25, 2024
Venue: Toyota Field, San Antonio TX
Kickoff: 7:06 p.m. CT/8:06 p.m. ET
Weather: 83 degrees, sunny
Participation:

discipline
28′ Gotham – Bruninha (Yellow)
43′ Kansas City – Cooper (Yellow)
48′ Gotham – Stevens (Yellow)

Rating
25′ Kansas City – Chawinga (LaBonta)
37′ Kansas City – Chawinga (LaBonta)

Summary of points

Current Kansas City lineup: Schult, Rodriguez, Sharples, Cook, Wheeler, LaBonta ©, Hutton (82′ Scott), DiBernardo (90′ Feist), Chawinga (46′ Ball), Debinha (90′ Steigleder), Cooper (82′ Jereko)
Unused substitutes: Franch, Fraine, Hamilton

NJ/NY Gotham FC Lineup: Miller (90′ Smith), Hiatt, Freeman (66′ Matthews), Flores, Zerboni © (66′ Whitham), Martin, Sheehan, Bruninha, Torres, Stevens, Shim (90′ Baxter)
Unused substitutes: Betos, Smith, Gonzalez, Moore, Yoshida, Lopez