Gotham FC vs Seattle Reign FC preview: Building on Wednesday's game | OneFootball

After the biggest night in club history, NJ/NY Gotham FC is already back in action when they take on Seattle Reign FC on Saturday. Both teams are coming off wins, with Gotham beating the Washington Spirit on Wednesday and Seattle earning a huge win over their main rivals, Portland Thorns FC, last weekend. The Washington side from the northwest has the rest advantage given they did not have a midweek matchup like the Bats, but they do have to travel cross-country and play in an early-afternoon kickoff, something traveling West Coast teams are known to struggle with across sports.

Still, a tight turnaround, even without having to travel, is always tough. But this week, it is especially tough for Gotham. Not just because it's an early kickoff after a late one, shaving off precious hours to recover and prepare, but the players must try to push aside the emotion of not just the event but also earning a big win against Washington that now means they are tied on points right at the top of the table. It can be difficult, but the NJ/NY side has to do it to win on Saturday.

At the same time, Seattle is also coming off of a big emotional high. While they are a bit further removed from it, the Reign managed to beat their biggest rivals 2-0 last Sunday. It was also huge for them to remain within touching distance of the playoffs as they sit just three points behind the eighth-place Orlando Pride. Seattle had also struggled as of late. After winning three of their first four games, this was only their second win in the last nine games. Hence, the NJ/NY team will ideally take advantage.

This is a very important game for both clubs as they try to achieve their goals for the 2026 season. For Gotham FC, a win keeps them well within the race for the Shield, while a win for Seattle keeps them well within the race for one of the last few playoff positions. Here is a preview of the game.

Gotham FC vs Seattle Reign preview

Date

The game will take place on Saturday, July 18.

Time

The fixture is scheduled to kick off at 12:00 PM ET.

Location

The match will take place at Icahn Stadium, Randalls Island, Manhattan, New York.

How to watch

The match will be broadcast on ABS and ESPN Deportes, and streamed on ESPN+.

Weather

The weather will play a major role in Saturday's game. In addition to the 186-206 rating on the Air Quality Index from kickoff to the end of the fixture, which The Weather Channel categorizes as "unhealthy" to "very unhealthy", there is the potential for severe thunderstorms. There is a 70% chance of thunderstorms throughout the 90 minutes, with close to half an inch of rain predicted. Wind speeds will be around 10 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. Humidity will also be high, ranging from 85-95%. There is a probable chance of a weather delay if this forecast holds true.

Injury report

Jordynn Dudley (head), Kayla Duran (knee - SEI), and Taryn Torres (knee - SEI) are all out for Saturday's game.

Players to watch

While it is highly unlikely she'll start, expect Denise O'Sullivan to make her Gotham FC debut tomorrow. The midfielder was signed on Tuesday and was not on the gameday roster on Wednesday, but should be available for selection against Seattle. That makes her someone to watch, for it will be interesting to see how she does.

Fans should also watch Seattle's Sofia Huerta, who is still a very capable player. The 33-year-old has three assists on the season as a right-back and plays a huge role for the Reign on both sides of the ball.

Prediction

This is a very tough game to predict given all of the outside factors such as rest, travel, weather, and the unique venue. The prediction is a 2-0 victory for Gotham FC with goals from Jaedyn Shaw and Rose Lavelle. This game could be very weird given all of the external factors mentioned above and could even feature some sort of weather delay given the forecast.