KC Current win club’s first trophy with Women’s Cup triumph

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Current have added their first trophy to the case in club history.

A 1-0 victory over Atlético de Madrid helped the Current secure The Women’s Cup Kansas City Championship.

The championship is also the first trophy the Current have won in an international tournament.

Under head coach Vlatko Andonovski, the Current have always focused on the game that’s directly in front of them. With this win, they can celebrate these moments.

“It feels good, but it’s rewarding when we execute our game plan,” captain Lo LaBonta said. As the captain, LaBonta got to lift the trophy for the team, her first with the Current.

“We battled hard. You know, at the end, [Andonovski] was proud of us, that we had like three [or] four corners on us in the last minute, and we were able to come out of it still with the win. These are always little victories that we enjoy and we embrace, and we improved on from the beginning of the season. So yes, it’s a trophy, but I’m still proud of the battle that we had out there.”

The Current began the tournament with a 3-0 win in the semifinals over South African club Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday. This win also puts a cherry on top of the Current’s Olympic break schedule that saw them reach the final of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.

And the wins never get old no matter the tournament.

“Winning is a good feeling, right? It’s always good to win,” LaBonta said. “It was hilarious and the confetti was stuck in everybody’s hair and mouth. That was fun.

“I was very proud of this team. We battled. You know, we usually get a lot of goals. Today, it was one, and sometimes that’s what it’s going to be. So I’m proud of this team.”

In the 12th minute, some incredible one-touch passing from midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo to forward Debinha to striker Temwa Chawinga in the right wing, led to Chawinga sending a ball to Debinha in the box.

Debinha was so open in the center of the box, she had time to take a touch, set her feet, and rip a right-footed goal to the bottom left corner.

It was the culmination of a match of crisp passing and supreme chances for Kansas City.

“It takes a lot of training, but I just want to add training together,” Andonovski said. “And this group of players, even though we’ve been together for eight, nine months, not everyone has been available to train together, and we see more and more moments now between two players or group of players. We saw the goal that Deb scored, and the combination between her and Temwa. They really didn’t have that much time together on the field for different reasons, whether it’s injury or international call-ups, but we’re going to see more and more of that, hopefully, as you go forward.”

The Current recorded 12 shots (seven on goal) as Debinha, Chawinga, and DiBernardo helped orchestrate the team’s attack with supreme ball control.

The Current dominated ball possession throughout the match holding Atléti to three shots (one on goal) in the match. KC used their direct passing, transitional attack to counter Atlético’s slow build-up, defensive style.

Winning for the future

With the win, the Current have qualified for TWC Global Series Finals in February 2025 which is set in the Middle East. NWSL club NJ/NY Gotham FC and Italian club Juventus are the other teams that will be in the Series Finals so far.

The Current are back to NWSL action, where they are second in the league, against the Washington Spirit on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 11 a.m.

The Current have a chance to add to their trophy case this season with the Summer Cup championship, the NWSL Shield (given to the team with the best record), and the NWSL Championship.

This two-game tournament has set a foundation for success in the three-year-old club’s history. With the quality and mentality of this year’s Current squad, there are no bounds to how much they can win.

“Every win is enjoyable and we want to, we want to enjoy that. But we also once we’re done with this one, we have to start focusing [on] the next game.” Andonovski said. “In order to create a winning culture, you have to win small games, small moments of a game. Then you have to win friendly games. You got to win a tournament. You got to win against international competition. That’s how you win the big one.

“I hope this is just the beginning, and because we want to do so much more, we want to do more, obviously, for the organization. We want to do a lot more for the community, because the support that they give us in every game that we’ve played so far, it’s incredible.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.