Gotham FC vs Chicago Stars preview: A midweek matchup in the Windy City | OneFootball

NJ/NY Gotham FC continues a busy week as the team enters the midpoint, as they travel to the Midwest to take on Chicago Stars FC. It is a quick turnaround for the Bats, who are a few days removed from their 3-0 win over Bay FC, where they had by far and away their best performance of 2026.

It was a somewhat unexpected performance given the injury report, which saw the team missing five defenders. This meant Midge Purce made another appearance at right-back and Guro Reiten made her Gotham FC debut at left-back. Despite this, the NJ/NY side not only played great in the attacking phase of the game, but they were equally impressive defensively. They kept a clean sheet, but also did not allow Bay to get a shot off until about 60 minutes into the game.

It should help the Bats that Chicago seems to be having another trying season, with the club sitting near the bottom of the standings. They did win at the weekend, 2-0 over Boston Legacy FC, but a quick look at some of the underlying numbers shows that the Stars were second-best in that game and perhaps got away with a somewhat lucky win on Saturday.

While the win on Saturday was a great moment for Gotham FC after a rough first five games, it is equally important that they carry this momentum moving forward. A midweek road game is never easy, but it is pretty easy to see a pathway to victory in this match for Gotham as they look to put together their first winning streak of 2026. Here is a preview of Wednesday's matchup.

Gotham FC vs Chicago Stars FC preview

Date

The game will be played on Wednesday, April 29.

Time

The match is scheduled to begin at 8:00 PM ET, 7:00 PM CT.

Location

The game will be played at Northwestern Medicine Field at Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois.

How to watch

The fixture will be streamed on Victory+.

Weather

The cold weather will continue to follow Gotham to Chicago with temperatures in the mid-40s throughout the 90 minutes. Humidity will be around 80% with winds below 10 mph. Sunset is set for 7:46 PM local, which means it will fall just before halftime.

Injury report

Bruninha (hamstring), Kayla Duran (knee - SEI), Mandy Freeman (lower leg), Emily Sonnett (lower leg), and Taryn Torres (knee - SEI) are missing for Wednesday. Thankfully, one defender, Lilly Reale, is back.

Players to watch

Despite playing out of position for just 45 minutes on Saturday, Guro Reiten made a real impact against Bay, creating two chances and also having four defensive contributions. Training sessions have been limited for the Norwegian international since coming over after the international break and will continue to be given the three-game week. But given her ability and experience, she won't let that hamper her ability to make contributions to the squad with a potentially big game expected in Chicago. Hence, she is someone to pay attention to.

For the Stars, goalkeeper Katie Atkinson has made a real impact in recent games, making her one to watch. She has only made two appearances so far this season, but has put in player-of-the-game-level performances in both, keeping a clean sheet in their most recent game against Boston on Saturday. She has seemingly taken over the starting goalkeeper spot from USWNT legend Alyssa Naeher, who many expect to retire come season's end.

Prediction

Gotham FC will start their first winning streak of the year and will beat Chicago 2-1. Goals for the Bats will come from Rose Lavelle, who also had a strong game against Bay, and rookie Jordynn Dudley will get her first as a pro after coming close on multiple occasions this season. Chicago's goal will come from Jordyn Huitema, who will net her third of the year.