Kansas City Current Falls to Flamengo, 3-2, in World Sevens Opener
NWSL Kansas City Current

Kansas City Current Falls to Flamengo, 3-2, in World Sevens Opener

Published on December 5, 2025 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
Kansas City Current News Release


FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The opening match of the first-ever North American edition of World Sevens Football (W7F), which features top women's clubs from across the Americas for a groundbreaking 7v7 tournament, took place Friday, Dec. 5, between the Kansas City Current and Clube de Regatas do Flamengo at Beyond Bancard Field in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Current got off to a quick start, but the Brazilian side won the first group stage match, 3-2.

"We are proud of our group's fight tonight," said assistant coach Freya Coombe. "Flamengo is a great team, and there were a lot of positive takeaways to implement in two more important group stage matches. The opportunity to play in World Sevens is incredible, and we're excited to step out even stronger tomorrow."

The first goal in North American World Sevens Football history belonged to forward/midfielder Alex Pfeiffer, who got Kansas City on the board just two minutes into the match. Midfielder Bayley Feist's perfectly placed assist connected with Pfeiffer and her strike from the left flank landed in the lower corner of the far post.

The Current extended their lead in the fifth minute after a goal from defender Ellie Wheeler. Midfielder Lo'eau LaBonta sidestepped a defender at the top of the box to send a quick feed to Ellie Wheeler on the right side in front of the net, and Wheeler's low shot snuck past the goalkeeper into the lower left corner.

Flamengo leveled the match with back-to-back goals to close out the first 15 minutes of play. Midfielder Ju Ferriera scored off a rebound after an initial save in the 11th minute before midfielder Leidiane Vila Real de Andrade assisted fellow midfielder's Glaucia Suelen Silva Cristiano goal with 23 seconds left in the first half as the teams went into the break tied at two apiece.

Silva Cristiano again found the back of the net in the 17th minute to kickstart second-half action off an assist from forward Cristiane Rozeira de Souza Silva. The Current had a few more good scoring opportunities as the second half progressed but were unable to convert, resulting in a 3-2 win for Flamengo.

The Current continues World Sevens action on Saturday, Dec. 6, with a pair of matches to conclude the group stage portion of the event. Kansas City takes on Tigres at 11:30 a.m. CT (12:30 p.m. ET) before facing off with AFC Toronto at 3:30 p.m. CT (4:30 p.m. ET). Every game is played at Beyond Bancard Field.

All matches are free for viewers to watch on DAZN, the tournament's official global broadcast partner, as well as DAZN's YouTube channel. Fans can also watch on TNT, truTV, HBO Max, ESPN, Disney+ and Univision.

Should the team advance out of the group stage and into the knockout round, the Current would play their semifinal match at either 10:30 a.m. CT (11:30 a.m. ET) or 11:45 a.m. CT (12:45 p.m. ET) on Sunday, Dec. 7. The third-place match is set for 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m. ET) with the championship slated for 3:30 p.m. CT (4:30 p.m. ET).

W7F Match Report

Event: World Sevens Football, Match #1

Match: Kansas City Current vs. Clube de Regatas do Flamengo

Date: Friday, Dec. 5

Venue: Beyond Bancard Field - Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Kickoff: 4 p.m. CT (5 p.m. ET)

Weather: 80 degrees, sunny

Scoring

2' Kansas City - Pfeiffer (Feist)

5' Kansas City - Wheeler (LaBonta)

11' Flamengo - Ferreira

15' Flamengo - Silva Cristiano (Real de Andrade)

17' Flamengo - Silva Cristiano (de Souza Silva)

Scoring Summary

1 2 F

Kansas City 2 0 2

Flamengo 2 1 3

Kansas City Current Starters: McCamey, Ball, Steigleder, Wheeler, LaBonta, Pfeiffer, Hamilton

Substitutes Used: Feist, Robinson, Sentnor, Jones, Colbert, Hopkins

World Sevens Format

World Sevens Football uses a fast-paced seven-a-side format, and the high intensity 7v7 style is built for speed, skill and nonstop action. Matches are played on a pitch half the size of a traditional 11-a-side soccer field. Each match lasts 30 minutes divided into two halves of 15 minutes each with a five-minute halftime break. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, there will be a short break before a five-minute 5v5 overtime period that would end with a golden goal. If the score is still tied at the end of extra time, the match goes to a sudden death penalty kick shootout. There are unlimited rolling substitutions, quick restarts and no offside rule. W7F's signature "no draws" format guarantees decisive results.

The tournament features a group stage round robin with two groups of four teams on Dec. 5-6. The top two clubs per group will advance to the knockout stage on Dec. 7 with the semifinals, third-place game and the championship. With 16 total matches, each team will play between three and five games in total, depending on the club's progress through the tournament.

Eight powerhouse North American clubs comprise this year's edition of World Sevens Football in Fort Lauderdale. The Kansas City Current is competing in Group 1 along with Flamengo (Brazil), Tigres (Mexico) and AFC Toronto (Canada). Group 2 includes Club América (Mexico), Deportivo Cali (Colombia), Club Nacional de Football (Uruguay) and fellow NWSL team San Diego Wave FC.

Kansas City's roster for World Sevens features 15 players: defender Elizabeth Ball, defender Kayla Colbert (KC Current II), midfielder Bayley Feist, goalkeeper Alexa Goldberg (KC Current II), forward Kristen Hamilton, forward Haley Hopkins, defender Sydney Jones (KC Current II), forward Elle Kershner (KC Current II), midfielder Lo'eau LaBonta, goalkeeper Tyler McCamey, forward/midfielder Alex Pfeiffer, defender Gabrielle Robinson, midfielder Ally Sentnor, defender Regan Steigleder and defender Ellie Wheeler.

Check out the Kansas City Current Statistics

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National Women's Soccer League Stories from December 5, 2025


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