KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Current kicked off their home opener Saturday morning at Children's Mercy Park in front of a record-breaking 11,301 fans.
In a 2022 NWSL Championship rematch, KC fell 4-1 to the Portland Thorns.
The scoring started off with a corner kick by Sam Coffey in the third minute. She found Crystal Dunn for the first goal of the match.
Portland scored again after taking advantage of a penalty kick. Sophia Smith was tripped by rookie defender Gabrielle Robinson and sailed the kick past goalie AD Franch for a 2-0 advantage.
The Current got on the board in the 58th minute when midfielder Alex Loera found midfielder Cece Kizer for the header, cutting the lead to one.
Kizer’s header was the club’s first goal of the 2023 season.
But Thorns forward Smith went on to complete a hat trick, scoring in the 83rd and 88th minutes to push Portland to victory.
Despite the loss, the Current saw the debut of forward Debinha in the 70th minute. She has been working her way back from an injury sustained during the SheBelieves Cup while playing for Brazil's national team.
KC will not see the pitch again until they take on the Chicago Red stars on April 15.
