Match Preview: Kansas City Current to Meet Corinthians SC in Title Game of Teal Rising Cup, Presented by Visit Missouri

KANSAS CITY (July 14, 2025) – The champion of the inaugural Teal Rising Cup, presented by Visit Missouri, will be crowned on Tuesday night as host Kansas City Current takes on Corinthians SC at CPKC Stadium, the first stadium purpose-built for a professional women’s sports team. The championship match, which features the top team in National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) standings and a Brazilian Serie A1 powerhouse, will commence at 8 p.m. CT.

Tuesday’s contest will broadcast domestically on ESPN+ with Dave Borchardt and Jillian Carroll Letrinko on the call, as well as internationally on Disney+ and SporTV in Brazil. Fans can also catch the action on 90.9 The Bridge as well as tune in to hear the match in English, Spanish or Portuguese on the KC Current App. Tickets are available for purchase HERE.

TEAL RISING CUP, PRESENTED BY VISIT MISSOURI
The inaugural Teal Rising Cup, presented by Visit Missouri and hosted by the Kansas City Current at CPKC Stadium, began July 12 and concludes July 15. The four-team tournament includes the Current, fellow NWSL team Chicago Stars FC and Brazilian Serie A1 clubs Corinthians SC and Palmeiras.

Chicago and Corinthians kicked off the event on Saturday in match one which saw the Brazilian side punch its ticket to Tuesday’s title game with a 1-0 win after a game-winning goal in second-half stoppage time. The second match saw a battle between Kansas City and Palmeiras in which the host prevailed for a 3-0 shutout and a spot in the championship contest.

Tuesday’s action begins with the consolation match between Chicago and Palmeiras at 5 p.m. CT. The game will broadcast domestically on ESPN+ with Hannah Bassham and Jillian Carroll Letrinko on the call, as well as internationally on Disney+ and SporTV in Brazil. The aforementioned championship match between Kansas City and Corinthians is then slated to begin at 8 p.m. CT

CURRENT VS. PALMEIRAS RECAP
The Kansas City Current opened the inaugural Teal Rising Cup, presented by Visit Missouri, with a 3-0 victory over Palmeiras on Saturday night. It was the club’s first-ever match against a Brazilian opponent. Forward Haley Hopkins notched a first-half brace with goals in the 34th and 43rd minutes, both which were assisted by midfielder Bayley Feist. Forward Flora Marta Lacho then forced an own goal in the 50th minute for the Current’s third and final tally. In her first appearance for the club, goalkeeper Laurel Ivory earned the shutout and made one save in the three-goal victory.

FIRST THINGS FIRST
Several Kansas City Current players experienced firsts during the last match against Palmeiras on July 12. There were three new faces who debuted in the starting lineup: goalkeeper Laurel Ivory, forward Mary Long and defender Katie Scott. Ivory made her first appearance for the club since joining as a free agent in December and Scott, one of three collegiate signings in January, made her professional debut. All three players logged a full 90 minutes.

Two goals in the first half came from forward Haley Hopkins, who signed with the club during preseason. It was her first multi-goal game as a member of the Current. Both of her goals were assisted by midfielder Bayley Feist, marking the first multi-assist game of her Kansas City tenure. In other firsts, defender Kayla Sharples donned the captain’s band for the first time as a member of the Current and forward Alex Pfeiffer returned to the pitch for the first time in 379 days after being removed from the season ending injury (SEI) list on July 11.

BRAZILIAN CONNECTIONS
Two of the top club teams in Brazil have made the trek to Kansas City, where there is certainly no shortage of Brazilian talent. The Current has three players who hail from Brazil: forward Bia Zaneratto, midfielder Debinha and goalkeeper Lorena. Zaneratto, who played for Palmeiras from 2020-24 and guided them to the 2022 Copa Libertadores Femenina title, is the club’s all-time leading scorer with 55 goals in 83 matches. Zaneratto has scored 36 international goals in 103 appearances for the Brazilian National Team. She has played in four FIFA World Cups (2011, 2015, 2019, 2023) and two Olympic Games (2016, 2020), totaling one World Cup goal and three Olympic goals.

Debinha has 146 caps and has scored 61 international goals, which ranks third all-time in Brazilian National Team history. She is a veteran of three Olympic Games (2012, 2016, 2020) and the 2019 FIFA World Cup, also leading Brazil to Copa América crowns in 2018 and 2022. Lorena made her debut for the Brazilian National Team in November 2021. After missing the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup due to injury, she returned to play every minute of Brazil's campaign at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, recording three clean sheets in six matches. She led Brazil to the silver medal. Lorena is currently playing with Brazil at the 2025 Copa América in Ecuador.

HOME SWEET HOME
Kansas City has played 27 matches across all competitions (regular season, postseason, NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, The Women’s Cup, Teal Rising Cup) at CPKC Stadium – the world’s first stadium purpose-built for women’s professional sports – since its opening on March 16, 2024. The club boasts an impressive 23-1-3 ledger all-time at CPKC Stadium across all competitions, including a 15-1-3 record across 19 NWSL regular season home games, and has scored at least once in every match played at home. Kansas City remains the only team in the NWSL without a loss or draw at home this year.

The Current has won 15 of their last 16 home matches across all competitions, having outscored opponents 42-8 in that stretch. Forward Temwa Chawinga has been involved in at least one goal in 16 of her 19 NWSL regular season matches at CPKC Stadium, totaling 21 goal contributions (17 goals, four assists). She has contributed to 25 goals (19 goals, six assists) in 24 matches at CPKC Stadium across all competitions. The 2024 NWSL MVP and Golden Boot winner has been directly involved in at least one goal in all but four of her 24 matches played in Kansas City across all competitions.

Additionally, the Current has played in 10 tournament games (NWSL Playoffs, NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, The Women’s Cup, Teal Rising Cup) since head coach and sporting director Vlatko Andonovski took over the helm ahead of the 2024 season. Across those 10 tournament games, Kansas City boasts an impressive 9-1-0 record, including an unblemished 8-0-0 mark for tournament games played at CPKC Stadium.

SCOUTING CORINTHIANS
Reactivated in 2016, Sport Club Corinthians Paulista has become a dominant force in the sport, winning multiple titles and transforming the scene of women’s football in Brazil. Corinthians SC is the most decorated club in Brazilian women’s soccer with six Brazil Championship and five Libertadores titles in addition to 20 major trophies. The club accounts for four of the five largest attendances in Brazilian women’s soccer history, as well as the largest-ever attendance in South America with over 44,000 fans at Neo Química Arena in 2023. Nicknamed As Brabas (“The Fierce Ones”), the team has been led by head coach Lucas Piccinato since 2023.

Corinthians currently sits in second in Brazilian Serie A1 standings with a 10-1-4 record and 34 points, just two behind current league leader Cruzeiro. The São Paulo-based club is one of two teams in the league to have won its last five regular season matches. Through 15 regular season games so far in 2025, the team leads Serie A1 with 46 goals scored – eight more than any other club – and a plus-34 goal difference, 14 more than the next closest opponent. Defender Letícia Teles da Silva, who has six goals in league play so far in 2025, scored the game-winner against Chicago during the second minute of added time in the second half on Saturday.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas City forward Mary Long – Long earned a spot in the starting lineup for the first time on Saturday against Palmeiras, playing every minute as the only forward to log a full game. Long signed with her hometown team in January after a standout freshman year at Duke, and, since making her professional debut on April 19 against the Houston Dash at CPKC Stadium, she has appeared in four NWSL regular season matches. A staple in the United States Youth National Team program, Long most recently scored three goals and dished out one assist at the 2025 Concacaf U-20 Championship, guiding the Stars and Stripes win Group A and punch its ticket to the 2026 FIFA U-20 World Cup. She also helped the U.S. U-17 National Team earn bronze at the 2024 FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Corinthians midfielder Victória Albuquerque – After her first stint with Corinthians from 2019-21, Albuquerque returned to the club in 2022. She is the all-time leading goal scorer in Corinthians history. She has scored five goals this year during the 2025 Brazilian Serie A1 regular season, highlighted by a brace against AE 3B da Amazônia in April. Albuquerque, who is 2-for-2 from the penalty spot this season, has logged 685 minutes across 11 regular season appearances so far in 2025. She played a full 90 minutes in Saturday’s match against Chicago Stars FC in the Teal Rising Cup opener.

Limited single-match tickets for 2025 regular season home matches are now on sale to the general public. The best way to ensure you won’t miss a second of the action at CPKC Stadium is by joining the Current Club, the Current’s trailblazing fan membership experience. Focused on ensuring fans continue to be able to access exclusive opportunities, members can unlock special benefits like priority access to single match tickets, members-only gifts and discounts, access to live and virtual events, exclusive content and more. 2025 Season Ticket Member Account Holders are already enrolled in Current Club at no additional cost. Click HERE for more information about the Current Club.