Gotham FC falls to league leaders Kansas City Current on the road | OneFootball

After playing a tough match that many figured would be difficult to get a positive result out of, NJ/NY Gotham FC fell to the runaway league-leading Kansas City Current 2-0. This marks the end of the Bats' 11-match unbeaten run in all competitions. It was also the first loss in almost two months.

The big story for Gotham FC heading into this match was the absence of starting goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger due to a knee injury. This meant Shelby Hogan made her first NWSL start for the team, after already making three starts for the club in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup.

While a win would have clinched a playoff spot, they can still clinch this weekend with help in other matches. A win from the Washington Spirit and either a win or a draw from Angel City FC will see Gotham clinch a playoff spot despite the loss to Kansas City.

Speaking of other results, Seattle Reign FC being held to a draw on Friday night means that even with the loss, the NJ/NY side sits in fourth place in the standings. That is still good enough to host a first-round playoff game. And with two games that many would consider to be difficult but still winnable against Racing Louisville FC and the North Carolina Courage to end the season, Gotham remains in a really good position heading into the playoffs despite picking up just one point from their last two NWSL games.

Gotham FC had a big test before the playoffs

Almost as soon as the match began, Hogan had her first test as Michelle Cooper sent in a shot on the goalkeeper. She easily handled the attempt. This was then followed by 30 or so minutes of pretty low event soccer where Gotham FC actually seemed to have more of the run of play, albeit without a shot on goal.

The first real chance of the game came when Izzy Rodriguez ventured forward from the left-back position and let off a shot that Hogan did very well to tip over the crossbar. Then, off a recycle from the ensuing corner, it was Rodriguez again who put a cross into the box that Bia Zaneratto got a head to and put past Hogan to give Kansas City the 1-0 lead in the 34th minute.

While Kansas City would then assume the momentum from this point to the end of the half, Gotham's one big chance of the half came in the 43rd minute when Rose Lavelle got off a right-footed shot from outside of the box that went over the crossbar.

At halftime, Kansas City brought on both Temwa Chawinga and Hailie Mace off the bench in place of Ellie Wheeler and Debinha. And it was less than six minutes before the Malawi international made her mark. After a brief Gotham chance right out of halftime, Chawinga made a fantastically timed run that first-half scorer Bia found with a great through ball past the NJ/NY backline. Chawinga then slid the ball between Hogan's legs to double the Current's lead.

It was an uphill slog for the visitors from then on. While they had their chances going forward after Kansas City's second, it always seemed like the Current was able to deal with things relatively easily. Gotham's best chance of the second half came in stoppage time when second-half substitute Katie Stengel had a shot deflect onto the post from close range. Alas, that was it for Gotham, leading to the 2-0 loss.

While there were times throughout the match where Gotham looked uncharacteristically sloppy or out of sync, the game as a whole was not bad. Being able to hold the Current to just 0.69 xG, by far their lowest xG total at home all season, can be viewed as a success. If they can clean up some of the sloppiness, then they might be able to find a way to win against Kansas City if these two were to meet again in the playoffs.

Things to note

As mentioned earlier, Gotham still sits in a solid position going into the playoffs. They play their last home game of the regular season next week against Louisville, who are just two points behind Gotham in the table. It certainly won't be an easy three points, but being at home and wanting to rebound from this loss should be enough to hopefully get the win next week.

One last thing that has recently become a talking point is the recent change at left-back, with Mandy Freeman seeing more time at that position instead of the rookie Lilly Reale, who has been the starter there for most of this season. And that was again the case against Kansas City as Freeman made her third straight start at left-back in NWSL play, with Reale being relegated to having to come off the bench.

The main reason for this may be that both Gabi Portilho and Geyse have been out with injury over the past few fixtures. This has meant that Jaedyn Shaw has had to move from midfield to the left-wing position. As a result, head coach Juan Carlos Amorós may favor having Freeman playing behind Shaw in the backline as the newest Gotham FC player may not be as good as or as familiar with the defensive aspect of playing on the wing given she is normally a midfielder, thus necessitating in Amorós mind the need for a more steady, responsible, veteran player rather than a rookie.