3 things we learned as Gotham FC continues to struggle after loss to KC Current | OneFootball

On Saturday, NJ/NY Gotham FC found themselves back on the road to take on the Kansas City Current.  This was the first meeting between the 2025 NWSL Champions and the 2025 NWSL Shield winners, respectively, since the Bats knocked out their opponents in the quarterfinals of the NWSL Playoffs.  This time, the Bats unfortunately lost 2-1 despite scoring first.

While the scoring drought is over, thanks to Jaedyn Shaw, the Current’s two goals from Debinha and Michelle Cooper were enough to secure their second win of the season.  But now, Gotham FC is entering the international break with a 1-2-2 record.  It is not good either that they still have only scored twice in five games.

Meanwhile, it was not like the NJ/NY team played poorly.  Rather, they played very well, and even outshot the Current 15 to 14.  The controlled over 60% of the possession, and caused the team headaches throughout the fixture.  In other words, the result does not match how the ladies played, and it is a positive from the game.  Alas, the result is what it is, and the Bats now enter the international break with a bad taste in their mouths.

There are some things to discuss about the fixture.  Here are three things we learned from Gotham FC’s loss to Kansas City.

Losing Kayla Duran was not ideal for Gotham FC

In the 18th minute, Tierna Davidson had to come on earlier than expected for Gotham FC.  She replaced an injured Kayla Duran, who suffered an apparent knee injury a few minutes earlier.  The young defender has slowly improved over time.  Due to injuries to Bruninha and Mandy Freeman, Duran has had to play as the right-back over the last few weeks.

Every time, she has looked better and better, helping the Gotham backline and Ann-Katrin Berger secure three clean sheets entering this fixture.  This was a positive thing, for this meant that the defensive depth was stronger.  Plus, it is always great to see younger players find themselves in the NWSL and become important players to the teams that they play for.

Now, if the injury is as bad as it appears to be, for Duran needed to be helped off the pitch and labored to put any weight on it, then this would be awful for everyone.  It is not ideal to lose any more defenders, especially since Davidson really needs to be eased back into playing the full 90 minutes and since the Bats are without two already.

It is unknown, though, whether the injury impacted the loss.  Gotham FC’s backline was arguably stronger by bringing in Davidson.  Still, this was a tough loss, and losing Duran was not ideal.

Gotham FC is scoreless no more

Esther González scored in the 55th minute of the season opener against Boston Legacy FC.  Since then, the Bats remained scoreless, at least until Saturday’s match in the 29th minute.  Shaw was the one to finally break the scoreless streak, and she did so in such a Shaw way.

The midfielder scored from outside of the box, but rather than putting the ball into the air, she shot it on the ground.  It was powerful enough that it easily went into the bottom-right corner of the goal and put Gotham FC ahead at the time.  Sadly, fans know what happened after that goal.

Still, it is a hopeful sign of things to come.  The Bats need to score, and while there is the fear that the international break will kill momentum, at least they do not have the stress of not scoring.  Still, more goals are needed, and Gotham will not win games unless the scoring boots come alive.  This is a team that is capable of putting the ball into the back of the net multiple times in a game.

The next five games are critical

When Gotham returns from the international break, the team will play five games before heading out to the CONCACAF Champions Cup.  This makes these five matches critical, and truly, the Bats cannot afford to continue their current trend.  That is why, at a minimum, the team must win three of those matches, tie once, and only lose once.

Of course, doing better than a 3-1-1 record during those five fixtures would always be welcome.  With three home games and two away, the NJ/NY side must figure out how to get positive results.  The pressure is on, and Gotham FC cannot fail.