After a long delay due to thunder and lightning, Gotham FC eventually took a tough 0-2 loss in their home opener, Saturday, April 1st, versus OL Reign.
Playing in Red Bull Arena, the NJ/NY team were intent on returning to New York with the same fight and persistence that helped them secure their first win of the season last week in Los Angeles.
The squad was without team captain Ali Krieger due to an injury sustained in the previous match versus Angel City. As a result, Kristen Edmonds once again played alongside Mandy Freeman in the back. On the offensive end, the only change to last week’s starting lineup was the inclusion of Icelandic international Svava Rós Guðmundsdóttir, who earned her first start for the team.
Gotham faced an incredibly tough opponent in OL Reign. Despite losing their first game in a highly contentious affair, the Reign displayed tremendous grit and talent, fitting for the team with the best regular-season record last year. Host to a number of strong players, OL Reign’s team is arguably one of the most well-rounded teams on both offensive and defensive ends of the pitch, making them a tough early season test for the newly put-together Gotham team.
Slated for a 7:30pm kick-off, the game was pushed back due to lightning strikes in the New Jersey area. Fans were told to shelter indoors, and a 30-minute countdown was set after each last strike to deem when to safely start the match. About an hour and a half after original kick-off time, the game was finally safe to begin.
Gotham Can’t Stop the Reign
For the first 45 minutes, Gotham defensively worked in a 4-1-4-1 shape, which oftentimes left the team vulnerable to OL Reign’s build-up. Rose Lavelle, Emily Sonnett, and Jess Fishlock were extremely active for OL Reign, each working to break through Gotham’s lines with ease in the first half. Whether it was breaking through the second line for a midfielder like Fishlock to receive, or on a long ball over the top just in front of Gotham’s defenders for a forward to collect, the Reign’s ability to cut through Gotham’s lines in the first half was exceptional.
Ultimately the first goal would come from the exploitation of these spaces with passes. In the 31st minute, Alana Cook found Sofia Huerta with ease on the right, bypassing a relatively flat Gotham line. As O’Hara stepped up to provide pressure, Lavelle recognized the space immediately and cut behind Yazmeen Ryan to receive a one-touch pass from Huerta. Running directly at Gotham’s back three, Lavelle played Fishlock in behind, who hit a beauty of a one-timer into the bottom right corner of the goal, leaving Gotham’s goalie, Abby Smith, with no chance to save.
Slow Start for Gotham
In sharp contrast, Gotham struggled to connect with players higher up the pitch in the first half. Guðmundsdóttir, playing primarily as a striker for the team, was minimally involved in play, earning just 6 touches and 3 passes in her 45 minutes of play, highlighting Gotham’s difficulty in finding her and connecting in the offensive third. Midge Purce and Lynn Williams fared slightly better, playing closer to the flanks and taking advantage of openings in space when possible. However the team overall could not build out and attack as efficiently as OL Reign. Their 0 of 5 shots-on-goal stat for the half were frustratingly dismal in comparison to Reign’s 3 of 5 on target.
The team did have flashes of life. In the 11th minute of play, Purce was able to beat her defender on the right side and played a beautiful pass over the top to Kristie Mewis. Mewis, on the right side of the box, took her defender 1v1 and cut onto her favored left foot before striking a shot towards goal, falling just off frame and hitting the side netting. Mewis would go on to take another promising shot from distance in the 45th minute of play, though it did not fall on target.
Reign Strikes Again
Despite starting the second half promisingly and making three substitutions in the early minutes to change the flow of the game, Gotham were unable to stop OL Reign from scoring a second goal. Taking advantage of a corner in the 62nd minute, Bethany Balcer was able to poke in a loose ball into the net, giving a 2-0 lead for the visitors.
Balcer had another clear chance to extend the Reign’s lead just two minutes later, but was unable to find the goal the second time around.
Farrelly Strong Debut
Arguably the biggest moment of the second half, and of the night overall, was Sinead Farrelly’s debut for Gotham and return to the NWSL. Having last played for the Portland Thorns in 2015 and originally retiring from soccer in 2016, Farrelly spoke out in 2021 of the sexual abuse she had received by former Thorns coach Paul Riley. The revelation of the abuse on her and fellow teammate Mana Shim led to the firing of Riley from his coaching position with North Carolina and led to the opening of investigations of other abuse cases and their handlings by the NWSL and the U.S. Soccer Federation.
Entering the match in the 70th minute, Farrelly proved exactly why she deserves a position on this team and a contract in this league. Entering the midfield alongside McCall Zerboni and Victoria Pickett, Farrelly provided pressure, won 50/50 balls, and created 2 key passes for goal, specifically a pass splitting Reign’s defense for Mewis to shoot in the 85th minute. The play ended with a misfire, but Farrelly’s vision and pass execution were undeniable.
Gotham Have Reason for Optimism
The second half saw Gotham move the ball much more comfortably up the field. Mewis moved out to the left side and played well with Jenna Nighswonger and Farrelly, creating momentum and a few decent chances to shoot. Taylor Smith also added a great outlet for the team to attack on the right side, and worked well with Purce to bring the ball up. Yet, despite the increasing attacking pressure, Gotham were ultimately stifled due to Reign’s organized defense, forcing them to take difficult shots and reduce their effectiveness on target.
After the match, Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós expressed a glass-half full approach towards the loss. “What I would like to highlight is how the team kept fighting and kept going forward until the final whistle,” Amorós explained. He praised the team’s hard work in the second half and felt the team performed better as the game progressed.
Amorós also took the time to thank the fans for supporting the team in their home-opener. “I really want to thank everyone because after such a long delay, when we came on the pitch, all the fans were there and were really engaged,” said Amorós. “I haven’t experienced something like that before.”
Asked about the takeaways from the game, Ryan also expressed a similar thought outlook. “I’m excited for what’s ahead,” Ryan stated, “This is a huge lesson for us, and better have it now than later in the season.”
Time for Continued Growth
For now, Gotham FC have some time to break down the loss and work on other tactical strategies. The team’s next game takes place on Saturday, April 15th, in sunny Orlando, where rain hopefully will not fall.