Gotham FC's 10-game unbeaten run comes to an end with a loss to Denver Summit FC | OneFootball

The run is over. NJ/NY Gotham FC has lost for the first time in over two months to Denver Summit FC. The 3-0 road loss is the second time that Denver has beaten the Bats, becoming the second expansion team in league history to defeat the reigning champions twice in their inaugural season.

The 10-game unbeaten run is now over, and in an attempt to spin this as a positive, it is probably better to have it end now rather than later in the season. Of course, it is never good to lose, but the chances of them carrying this streak through the rest of this season were slim to none. This gives the team a chance to reset, get the unbeaten streak out of people's mouths, and start a new one to build up momentum heading into the playoffs.

On the other side, Denver must be feeling fantastic. After a pretty inconsistent run of form since the summer break, they've now won two games in a row by a score of 9-1. A late push for the final playoff spot is not out of the question, with just two points between them and Angel City FC in eighth place. The two will play each other this coming Friday in Los Angeles.

This was Juan Carlos Amorós' first game as head coach since July 18, and it could not have been a worse reintroduction. Simply saying that the loss came as a result of his return is a poor correlation. It does make sense for there to be a short adjustment phase for both Amorós and the players, despite assistant coach Shaun Harris not really changing much from when Amorós was with the team earlier in the campaign.

Back down to earth for Gotham FC

The match started with Denver looking like the more likely team to score. It began with a near disaster, as less than two minutes in, a Tierna Davidson blocked shot nearly trickled into the Gotham FC goal. Then on a recycle from the ensuing corner, Melissa Kössler put the ball in the back of the net but was ruled offside. Kössler again had another chance 10 minutes later that was saved in close by Ann-Katrin Berger.

It was not until around the half-hour mark that the Bats had their first chance of the match. Jaedyn Shaw had a free kick that may have grazed the head of Sam Kerr on the way. It was saved by Summit goalkeeper Kat Asman. Then, just before halftime, Gotham had a fast-break opportunity where a cross from Guro Reiten deflected its way to Jordynn Dudley, who managed to create some space but shot right at Asman, keeping the game at 0-0 going into halftime.

Despite the visitors' momentum, Denver scored the opener just five minutes into the second half. A giveaway by Jess Carter on the edge of the box was pounced on by Kössler, who found Ayo Oke on the right. Oke then sent in a great cross into the box that Yuzuki Yamamoto finished brilliantly to give Denver the lead.

10 minutes later, Gotham had two great chances for an equalizer as Kerr had a shot saved, and on the ensuing recycle, Midge Purce sent in a great cross for Reiten. The Norwegian unfortunately placed her shot wide of goal.

Afterward, Denver had their second and third goals in quick succession after the 80th minute. First, Olivia Thomas scored a great goal that went through Davidson and out of the reach of Berger to double Denver's lead. Six minutes later, former Bat Yazmeen Ryan, who assisted the Thomas goal, scored the third. It was a trademark strong but accurate shot from just outside the box that again went past Berger's outstretched arm.

This was obviously far from the result or performance this club would expect. It seems like Denver may have Gotham's number this season, given they've won both matchups in 2026. But as mentioned earlier, this provides a chance for this club to turn the page and get a reset moving forward. There is a worry, though, that this could be the start of a poor run of matches.

The Washington Spirit went through something similar recently, when they went four straight without a win and did not look like themselves in that stretch. Many fans and media members who cover Washington suggested that the increased schedule and workload played a role in this poor run of form. Gotham have had a very similar workload to Washington this season and have also had very little squad rotation in recent games.

Now, the NJ/NY side might be going through something similar. Given they've failed to win their last three fixtures, they might be on the back end of this potential poor run of form. They still have seven games to go this season, which is more than enough time to re-find themselves and get back on track heading into the playoffs.