Gotham FC ends CONCACAF W Champions Cup with loss to Pachuca | OneFootball

A difficult trip to Mexico concluded for NJ/NY Gotham FC as they lost to C.F. Pachuca Femenil 3-0 in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup third-place game. This marks the first time that the Bats lost consecutive games in nearly a year after they lost three straight in NWSL play last season.

The loss caps off a trip to forget for Gotham FC, who conceded seven goals in these two games, two more than the five they've conceded in 10 games so far in NWSL play in 2026. It was somewhat perplexing, for they made simple mistakes and generally did not play well across the board in these two games. Some of it was the altitude, some of it was the injuries and packed schedule, but even without those factors, a lot of the general play was not good enough.

For Pachuca, this was an emphatic way for them to end this tournament. They will be disappointed not to win the whole tournament, given it was played at their home stadium, but a 3-0 win over the defending champions is a really nice consolation prize. And they were good for the win too, as they were the better team for the vast majority of the 90 minutes.

From here, these two teams will go in different directions. Pachuca doesn't play until the new Apertura season begins in mid-July, while Gotham has one more league game before the NWSL goes on break in June due to the Men's World Cup.

Flush it and forget it, Gotham FC

The match got off to a poor start for Gotham FC, with C.F. Pachuca looking like the more dangerous of the two sides before the opener was scored in the 11th minute. Pachuca's Clausura season top scorer, Charlyn Corral, finally scored her first in CONCACAF play when she got on the end of a great over-the-top long ball that she was able to control and slide past Shelby Hogan.

Afterward, Gotham slowly built into this game with Jaedyn Shaw having a long-range effort saved before a huge chance for Esther González just a few minutes later. A great ball from Talia Sommer, who was making her first start for the club, found González behind the Pachuca backline. The Spaniard rounded the goalkeeper but in the process killed her angle at goal. This resulted in her firing her shot into the side netting. Nevertheless, the offside flag went up, meaning it would not have counted had it gone in.

But 10 minutes later, the Mexican side scored again. Corral finished off a play that started from a throw-in before 17-year-old Berenice Ibarra carried the ball into the box before sliding the ball to Corral, who finished comfortably to give Pachuca the 2-0 lead going into halftime.

Coming out of the break, Gotham made three changes with Sommer, Emily Sonnett, and Sofia Cook making way for Sarah Schupansky, Jess Carter, and Savannah McCaskill. The NJ/NY side had the best chance of the game in the 59th minute when a misfired clearance landed at the feet of Shaw. She unleashed a rocket of a shot off the crossbar before Jaelin Howell's follow-up was fired high.

Then, Pachuca added a third in the 84th minute when a potential foul on Howell went uncalled, resulting in winger Aline Gomes picking up the ball in midfield. She charged forward and through the Gotham backline before firing the shot past Hogan to wrap the game up.

Reflecting on these two games as a whole, there were really very few positives to take away from them. It seemed like the two things that Gotham has been dealing with pretty well this season, their injuries and their extended workload in 2026, both finally caught up to them, with the effects being amplified by the extreme elevation. They looked tired, unorganized, and made too many simple mistakes that were close to nonexistent in their recent NWSL games.

Gotham FC must flush these two games down the toilet and focus everything on their match next week against the Houston Dash. It would be huge to get one last win before the much-needed break during June. And it is a true break this time, for there is just regular international duty and no tournaments.