Kansas City Current destroys North Carolina Courage and secures place in Summer Cup final
Kansas City Current made history by beating North Carolina Courage 2-0 in the semifinal of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, securing their place in the final. Powered by goals from striker Temwa Chawinga and midfielder Debinha, Current showed why they are one of the most feared teams in the tournament. The match, played at the CPKC Stadium, was a real soccer spectacle, with Kansas City dominating from start to finish.
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From the very first seconds, Kansas City made it clear that they weren't messing around. Just 45 seconds into the game, Chawinga was already forcing Courage goalkeeper Marisa Bova into a difficult save. And she didn't even have time to breathe. Almost a minute later, Chawinga, who was coming back from injury, scored the fastest goal of the Summer Cup. Receiving a pass from Debinha, the Malawi striker fired a shot that Bova couldn't hold, and on the rebound, Debinha tried, but it was blocked. Chawinga, however, was there to push the ball into the empty net, putting Kansas City ahead.
From then on, the game was a real exchange of attacks. Current continued to press and add shots on goal, but the Courage defense held out as best it could. At half-time, the score was 1-0 to Current, but the dominance was clear. Kansas City's defense line, with standouts like Alana Cook and Ellie Wheeler, did an exceptional job keeping the Courage attackers away from goal.
The second half began with North Carolina trying to react. In the 56th minute, a corner from Malia Berkely led to danger in the Kansas City area, but Dani Weatherholt's header was disallowed for offside. Current's defense remained solid, and goalkeeper AD Franch made a spectacular save in the 75th minute to prevent Ashley Sanchez from equalizing.
But Kansas City wanted more. In the 77th minute, a clearance from Stine Ballisager Pedersen seemed to be controlled by a Courage defender, but Chawinga, with her impressive speed, won the race and launched herself towards goal. After dribbling into the box, her shot was blocked, but there was Debinha again, in the right place at the right time, to find the net. The ball went between Bova's legs and sealed Current's 2-0 win.
Debinha, who had already scored three goals in the Summer Cup, drew level with Aisha Solórzano of Club Tijuana in the race for the tournament's Golden Boot. The Brazilian, Kansas City's top scorer last season, has scored in each of Current's last three matches, demonstrating her incredible consistency and skill.
Coach Vlatko Andonovski couldn't be prouder: "If we continue to be who we are, if we do what we do best, if we are ourselves, the result will be a success," he said after the match. "Today, we showed that we represent our team in the best possible way."
With this win, Kansas City Current advance to the inaugural Summer Cup final, which will take place on October 25 at Toyota Field in San Antonio. The combination of a powerful attack and a solid defense makes Current a formidable opponent.