Gotham FC vs Portland Thorns FC preview: Another top-of-the-table clash | OneFootball

Off the back of three consecutive wins, NJ/NY Gotham FC will head out west to take on Portland Thorns FC. This begins a stretch of three games in nine days for the NJ/NY side, beginning in Portland before visiting Bay FC and the Houston Dash. The Bats are coming off of an emotionally charged week that saw a 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit in the Queens Classic at Citi Field in front of over 42,000 fans. They then followed that up with a legendary comeback over Seattle Reign FC at the much smaller Icahn Stadium that saw two goals in stoppage time in a 3-2 victory.

That week extended Gotham FC's winning streak to three games. But now, they will be without Head Coach Juan Carlos Amorós as he embarks on five weeks of parental leave. Lead assistant coach Shaun Harris will serve as acting head coach during Amorós’s absence. Sean Nahas, the former North Carolina Courage coach who has been working with Gotham FC in a consultant capacity, will take on increased responsibilities as the club’s interim director of methodology.

Meanwhile, it has been rough for the Portland Thorns as they have only one win in their last five games, including losing their last two. Their three-headed monster in attack of Sophia Wilson, Olivia Moultrie, and Pietra Tordin has really carried this team this season. But outside of a Wilson penalty kick goal, they have been held off the scoresheet in these last two games. The Bats will want to take advantage of this period.

A win would be huge for Gotham, as three points would extend their points gap over another top-of-the-table team while still maintaining their game-in-hand advantage. So, here is a preview of Friday night's game between the NJ/NY side and the Rose City team.

Gotham FC vs Portland Thorns preview

Date

The game will take place on Friday, July 24.

Time

The fixture is scheduled to kick off at 10:00 PM ET, 7:00 PM local time.

Location

The match will take place at Providence Park in Portland, Oregon.

How to watch

The match will be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

Weather

It's shaping up to be a very nice weather day in Portland on Friday, with temperatures at kickoff predicted to be 83 degrees before dropping to 76 by the end of the game. Humidity will start at 40% before jumping to 55% by the end of the fixture. There is a 20% chance of rain towards the beginning of the game before dropping to nearly zero by halftime. Sunset is scheduled for 8:48 PM local time, which should be around the midpoint of the second half.

Injury report

Esther González (excused absence), Kayla Duran (knee - SEI), and Taryn Torres (knee - SEI) will be out for the match against Portland. Jordynn Dudley (head) is questionable.

Players to watch

For Gotham, the easy answer of who to watch is Rose Lavelle. The midfielder scored the winning goals in the team's last two games, her first since the end of April. The 31-year-old is not only playing very well of late, but she is also the healthiest she has been in her entire pro career, with her managing to play 90-minute performances.

Fans should also watch Portland's Moultrie, who has started to play like a consistent MVP candidate over the last 12 months. The midfielder has 10 goal contributions so far this season. That already surpasses her total from last regular season in almost half the number of games. That puts her in a tie for fourth in the league in combined goals and assists and in serious consideration for not just Midfielder of the Year, but MVP as well.

Prediction

Despite Portland's recent form, this will not be an easy game, as is the case for any visiting team heading to Providence Park. That being said, it really feels like the Bats are in a nice groove as of late, and they will carry that into Friday's game. A 2-1 Gotham FC win is the prediction with Lavelle scoring in her third consecutive game and Sam Kerr getting her first goal since returning to the club this month. Moultrie will be the lone goalscorer for Portland.