Game report: Kansas City Current starting season when winning the foot with a 3-1 win over Portland Thorns

Kansas City (March 15, 2025) – The City Current Curror City (1-0-0, 3 offs, 2nd place) returned on Saturday afternoon with excited return to the CPKC stadium when the club started the regular season of the National Women's Soccer League 2025 with a 3-1 win over the Portland Thorns (0: 0: 00.0PTs). The incumbent NWSL -MVP and the Golden boat winner Temwa Chawinga took up exactly where she stopped in 2024 and scored a goal just four minutes after the competition began to give the current lead.

Striker Michelle Cooper scored in the 24th minute what was a match winner in a brilliant goal from the distance, and midfielder Debinha rounded off the goals with her 48th career NWSL season destination in the 38th minute. In the first half, the rating was the third time in a row, in which the current goals were scored in the opening framework against Portland.

“I thought it was great, obviously we wanted to start with a goal or more goals, but to be honest I didn't expect to achieve three in the first half, which was a very big beginning for us,” said head coach Vlatko Andonovski. “It.”

The current CPKC stadium welcomed another sold-out crowd in the CPKC Stadium on a cool Saturday afternoon. In the same way, Chawinga scored the first goal of the campaign in an electrifying sequence in the fourth minute. Midfielder Vanessa Dibernardo won the ball in the middle of the park and pushed a short pass to lead Debinha on the field. Debinha rolled for Chawinga, who met the boundary ball in Stride and perfectly through the head of the goalkeeper of Portland, Mackenzie Arnold. The gate opened Chawinga's account for the 2025 campaign and marked its sixth NWSL season appearance in a row.

Cooper doubled the advantage of the electricity 20 minutes later with a brilliant long -distance stroke. Midfielder Lo'eau Labonta organized a pass for Cooper on the left wing, which raised the ball about 30 meters from the goal. Cooper fought through the traffic and a defender in Portland and fired two touches and fired a strike that found the upper left corner of the network.

In the 27th minute, Dibernardo officially met 15,000 NWSL season minutes, which were played in their career. She is the twelfth player who does this in the history of the league and ended the historical day with a 90-minute performance in the heart of the midfield of the current.

Goalkeeper Lorena, who made her debut in Kansas City and NWSL in the game on Saturday, made an impressive diving savings in the 36th minute to refuse a long -term effort by Deyna Castellanos from Portland. When Portland wanted to halve the deficit of the current, Castellanos shot a shot from the tip of the penalty area of ​​Kansas City, which seemed to be in the upper corner, but Lorena made acrobatic efforts to turn the efforts aside. The Brazilian international ended her debut with two parades.

Kansas City pushed on to goals in the first half, and Debinha ended a dominant 45-minute route with a goal in the 38th minute. The goal ended an incredible individual effort when Debinha himself began the step of the current by winning the ball in the attack and playing Cooper on the goal on the right wing. Cooper fired a cross in Portland's penalty area that Arnold was wearing, but the ball went to Debinha, who was in the perfect position to meet the loose ball and shoot it into the back of the network.

The goal was the 48th career NWSL season destination from Debinha, which she brought into a draw with Sydney Leroux and Christians Press for eighth place on the NWSL all-time season list. It was also Debinha's second game with a goal and an assist for the electricity. Kansas City would ultimately take his 3-0 lead into the changing room.

In the 49th minute, the thorns scored a goal through a target of midfielder Olivia Moultrie. Kansas City almost reacted with an immediate balance, but Arnold was great to refuse to equipment against Cooper.

The Thorns put the stage for a down to the wire finish when Portland received a penalty kick after a Var check in the 79th minute. Moultry occurred to take the spot kick in the middle of thundering roar of the current trailer, and she shot her efforts out of the crossbar to keep the match 3-1.

When the second half decreases, two acquisitions outside of the season added a day of the first for the electricity. Midfielder Rocky Rodríguez celebrated her current debut in the 67th minute and helped see his victory with two goals. The striker Haley Hopkins played the last 13 minutes of the competition for her first appearance in the current colors, came in the 84th minute and ended the game in seven minutes of the stopover in the second half.

The current ones have now won two player opening games in a row in the CPKC Stadium, both of which came against Portland. In addition, Kansas City is now unbeaten in the last 12 home games in all competitions.

Limited single game tickets for 2025 regular home games are now available for the general public. The best way to ensure that you do not miss an action in the CPKC Stadium is to connect the current club to the latest state membership experience. Members focus on the fact that fans can continue to access exclusive options. Members can unlock special advantages such as priority access to individual playing cards, only members gifts and discounts, access to live and virtual events, exclusive content and much more. 2025 holder of season ticket members are already enrolled in the current club free of charge. Click here to get more information about the current club.

NWSL -Match report
Match: Kansas City Current against Portland Thorns FC
Date: March 15, 2025
Venue: CPKC Stadium, Kansas City, Mo
Kickoff: 11:51 CT/12: 51 PM et
Weather: 46 degrees, cloudy
Participation: 11,500

discipline
14 'Kansas City – Hutton (yellow)
19 'Portland – Reyes (yellow)
51 'Portland – Sugita (yellow)

Rating
8 'Kansas City – Chawinga (Debinha)
24 'Kansas City – Cooper (Labonta)
38 'Kansas City – Debinha
49 'Portland – Moultry (Sugita)

Evaluation summary

Kansas City Current variety: 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 listing: Arnold, Reyes (73 'McKenzie), Perry, Obaze, Torpey, Coffey ©, Sugita (73' Hanks), Moultrie, Fleming (64 'Turner), Spaantra (64' Linnhan), Castellanos (87 'Tordin)
Unused substitutes: Bixby, hood, Diane, Kelley, Turner

Pool questions for Kansas City against NJ/NY Gotham FC – March 15, 2025
Pool reporter: Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star
Referee: Alyssa Nichols

Q: What happened at the opening of the opening and why did this mean that the KC Current Basting property was initially the ball after the Portland Thorns to start the game?

A: #17 Sam Coffey from the Portland Thorns took the kick -off and she touched the ball a second time before touching another player. An indirect free kick was awarded to the City City in Kansas due to the crime committed by Portland Thorn.

Q: What did the referee changed during the video review, which changed the call on the field in particular with regard to where the Ball KC Current No. 27 (Sharples) did to assign the penalty?

A: During the review, it was found that the ball with Kansas City Current #27 Kayla Sharples Arm in an unnatural position and a criminal handball offensive in the penalty area was guilty.