Gotham FC vs North Carolina Courage preview: Searching for the first win | OneFootball

Following the April international break, NJ/NY Gotham FC is back in action for their second home game of the season against the North Carolina Courage. North Carolina, like the Bats, entered 2025 with expectations of a near top-of-the-table finish which was partly fueled by the offseason acquisition of Jaedyn Shaw from San Diego Wave FC. However, both teams have gotten off to similarly slow starts with zero wins from the first three games.

North Carolina, as mentioned earlier, is hungry for their first three points of the season. This has been mainly fueled by the slow start of their new dynamic duo of Ashley Sanchez and Shaw. While both are very clearly incredible talents, there were question marks around whether they can co-exist in the same lineup given they tend to occupy the same area of the field. And so far those concerns have been backed up given neither player has registered a goal or an assist. While the season is still young, three points this weekend will go a long way in their playoff push.

As fans know, Gotham FC's story is similar to North Carolina. The lack of cohesion in the final third is a major reason why. There is hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel since the team struggled at the beginning of 2024 as well. The big news for Gotham this week is the news that Midge Purce is available for selection this weekend for the first time since she tore her ACL over a year ago. While she is not expected to start, she should see the field as a substitute in preparation for a bigger role in Gotham's three-game week that starts next Friday against Angel City FC.

Gotham FC needs to improve though and earn the first win of the season. Here is a preview of Sunday's match against North Carolina.

Gotham FC vs North Carolina Courage preview

Date

Gotham FC will host the North Carolina Courage on Sunday, April 13.

Time

The game is scheduled to kick off at 4:00 PM ET.

How to watch

The match will be streamed on NWSL+ and Paramount+.

Location

The game will be played at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey.

Weather

Temperatures throughout the fixture will be in the high 50s with 40% humidity and a 0% chance of rain. The main story regarding the weather will be the wind. Winds around 15 mph with gusts into the low 20s are the most extreme weather conditions expected to affect Sunday's game. While the stadium's enclosed nature keeps a lot of the wind out, there is still the potential for wind gusts to impact long goal kicks and long-range efforts on goal.

Injury report

Ryan Campbell (shoulder), Sofia Cook (thigh), Tierna Davidson (SEI - knee), Shelby Hogan (thumb), and Rose Lavelle (ankle) are all out for Sunday.

As such, Jéssica Silva is back, which is good news after her scary eye injury. Additionally, the team is without both reserve goalkeepers, resulting in an emergency short-term signing of Michelle Betos. Emerson Elgin joins the coach as injury-replacement players for the fixture.

Players to watch

Following two goals in two games for Spain, expect to see Esther González carry on her form and open her club goal-scoring account in 2025. The Spanish forward finished top five in the NWSL Golden Boot race last season and her being able to do the same this year will be crucial for Gotham to be able to start racking up the wins in 2025.

For North Carolina, the aforementioned Shaw and Sanchez duo will need to start getting on the scoresheet if the Courage wants to see their season start to move in the right direction. While Gotham's backline has done a good job keeping big-name opposition players off the scoresheet, they will have their hands full with these two, especially given the absence of Tierna Davidson.

Expect another close match for Gotham FC again, except this time they will be on the winning end. An Esther goal will give the Bats a 1-0 victory and hopefully be the match that starts the club's climb back up to the top of the table.