3 things we learned as Gotham FC was scoreless in draw with Orlando Pride | OneFootball

After a disastrous midweek loss to Denver Summit FC, NJ/NY Gotham FC entered Sunday’s game looking to rebound and win their first home match of the season.  They had a tough task ahead of them since they faced the Orlando Pride, the team they beat in the semifinals of the 2025 NWSL Playoffs.  The Florida side remains a top side this year, and this was shown in the game.  The two teams played to a 0-0 draw, resulting in the Bats being winless in their last three matches.

Truthfully, this fixture was much better compared to Wednesday’s game.  Gotham FC looked better and played better.  Their passes were more confident, and they were slightly more threatening in the attack, despite having fewer shots on target this time around.  The Bats' time spent in the final third caused Orlando to work overtime in defending.  Of course, it helped that the home side had about 60% of the possession.

Moreover, Gotham was solid defensively, which is not shocking.  It was expected that the team would be better and eliminate the mistakes they made during the midweek fixture.  The Pride had numerous chances where they could have scored, but thankfully, the backline forced mostly weak shots when they were on target, aiding Ann-Katrin Berger immensely.

It stinks that the game did not end in a win, but the NJ/NY side did well against a challenging opponent.  Here are three things we learned from the scoreless draw between Gotham FC and the Orlando Pride.

Gotham FC needs goals

Esther González, who scored the first and lone goal of the 2026 campaign in the season opener, is clearly not going through one of her stretches where she tears it up in the NWSL.  More importantly, Gotham FC cannot rely on the Spanish international to score all of the goals.  There are players who can score, like Rose Lavelle and Midge Purce.  Plus, it is hopeful that Jordynn Dudley’s college form will eventually hit the league.

So, where are the goals?  Why is the team struggling so much?  Have the other teams figured the Bats out?  That is unlikely, for many of their goal attempts were lackluster.  What about rustiness?  Are the ladies not ready for the NWSL season?  Again, that is probably not the case since they played in the FIFA Champions Cup.  Maybe the tournament and the interrupted preseason were not positive, though.

Nevertheless, and this has been said in the offseason, other Gotham players must step up.  Goals are needed, and with two more teams, making the playoffs will be a little harder.  Of course, it is still early, but as the NJ/NY side continues to lose out on points, the chance of more pressure at the end of the season increases.

Gotham FC has to be careful with pressuring

During the game, there was one notable moment that was eye-catching and very concerning.  Gotham was trying to pressure the Pride and regain possession, which they often did during the match.  However, at one point, both Jaelin Howell and Savannah McCaskill tried to press and pressure the Pride at the same time, leaving space for Orlando to move toward the box.

Thankfully, the visitors did not score, but they would not have had an offensive sequence there if the two midfielders had not pressed at the same time.

Hence, when defending, both must be on the same page, where only one will pressure while the other continues to help out in the defense.  This is vital against teams like Orlando, who are considered to be one of the top-attacking teams in the NWSL.  Again, Gotham was lucky the match remained scoreless.  Alas, it was easy to pinpoint exactly where things went wrong if the Florida side scored.

The backline deserves praise

As mentioned, Orlando is a tough team to play against.  With stars like Barbra Banda and Marta, the fact that the Bats kept them out of the goal is quite impressive.  That is why the backline deserves all of the praise in the world.  They limited the visitors from having solid chances, and when they did, Berger was easily able to make the saves.

Gotham FC was like a cog in the machine, with everyone working together to block, intercept, and force the ball out of play throughout the 90 minutes of play.  They might not have scored in the last three games, but it is positive that the team has three clean sheets in four matches.