KC Current Win as the Sun Sets on the Sundowns

Just after earning a place in the inaugural Summer Cup finals last week, the Kansas City Current were back in action in another international tournament, The Women’s Cup. After Atletico Madrid’s women’s team played INAC Kobe earlier in the day to a 1-1 draw that Atletico won in PKs, the KC Current took the field against South African powerhouses the Mamelodi Sundowns.

The Current made significant lineup changes since the Summer Cup, most notably starting brand new goalkeeper Almuth Schult in net. Other changes included the return to the starting lineup for Izzy Rodriguez, Regan Steigleder, Alexa Spaanstra and Bailey Feist.

Let @thewomenscup begin 🙌@BlueKC | #KCBABY pic.twitter.com/JrMJd63MV2

— KC Current (@thekccurrent) August 15, 2024

The Sundowns, the six-time consecutive South African champs, rolled out the following lineup:

🚨𝙎𝙏𝘼𝙍𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙓𝙄🚨

🆚 KC Current
⏰ 03H00
🏟 CPKC Stadium
🏆 The Women’s Cup

#SundownsLadies #RabatsenaGape pic.twitter.com/CfnZREfBBi

— Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies Team (@SundownsLadies) August 15, 2024

First Half

Both teams were feeling each other out early with half buildups that flamed out. The Current were getting the best of things, but the final pass kept being slightly off.

The best early chance for the KC Current came from Kristen Hamilton cutting inside and finding Spaanstra. However, she took far too long to take her shot in the 15th minute, and it was pushed out for a corner kick. The first corner resulted in another, but the next one found Steigleder’s head and went just wide of the post!

In the 20th minute, Vanessa DiBernardo drilled a shot wide of the post. In the 23rd minute, Lo LaBonta delivered a perfect cross to a wide open Spaanstra. Alexa elected to take to take it first time and missed wide, but a light pass to the middle of the box would have found a wide-open Feist for a tap in.

Spaanstra made up for her mistakes in the 24th though with a golazo from well outside the 18-yard-box!! 1-0 Kansas City.

Credit: Thad Bell

The Sundowns had a scare in the 29th minute. Hamilton got in behind the defense and the goalkeeper took her down, maybe slightly nicking the ball. However, the offside flag was up and a potential red card (or second goal), was avoided. The GK, Andile Dlamini, was worse for wear requiring treatment, but she was able to continue.

After a bit of a slowdown and a hydration break, the Mamelodi Sundowns were next to test a keeper. From about 40 yards out Schult had to stretch to make a save and keep KC ahead. Little did she know it would be the only real test of her night.

The lead would expand moments later for KC. In the 38th, Michelle Cooper got in behind on a great ball from LaBonta. Coop rounded the keeper with ease and tapped it home to make it 2-0.

The Current nearly made it three, but Hamilton was called offside on a questionable call. There is no VAR in the Women’s Cup.

It wouldn’t take long to find that third goal. Off a short corner, Cooper found DiBernardo who caught the Sundowns keeper off her line and V curled a shot to the far post into the back of the net. 3-0 KC. The game would go into the half with the same score.

Second Half

The Current made one change to start the second half when LaBonta was replaced by recent US U-20 World Cup callup, Claire Hutton.

KC continued to dominate, but they couldn’t quite find the back of the net. A triple sub came in the 59th minute brining on Debinha, Hanna Glas and Temwa Chawinga. They replaced DiBernardo, Alana Cook and Hamilton. Glas came in at right back and pushed Steigleder to CB.

After a pretty physical game, it took the insertion of Chawinga to finally draw a yellow card. After dribbling through about five defenders, it took an American football style tackle to pull that card out of the ref’s pocket. In the 67th minute, after sitting down, Cooper was taken out of the game along with Spaanstra. They were replaced by sometimes fullback, sometimes winger Ellie Wheeler and the returning Nichelle Prince. Prince instantly drew a yellow card of her own forcing a defender to pull her back by her jersey.

From there it was a series of overpowered shots from the Current, constantly skying the ball over the net. The game would end 3-0 KC. They will move to the Women’s Cup Championship match against Atletico Madrid this Saturday night at CPKC Stadium. Kickoff at 8:00 PM CDT.