Gary Gibson
Gotham puts together the best 60 minute performance of the the season and then falls 2-1 to the Houston Dash. Gotham ends the match playing down a player after Midge Purce gets sent off. Here are some immediate takeaways.
Back to Good
Interim coach Hue Menzies has worked his magic that he has shown time and time again as an evaluator of teams and players. Hue spent his first game in charge letting Gotham play the way they wanted to in order to see where this team defaults to. In his second game in charge he made his presence felt. Taking what he saw in the first match and improving upon the structure and movement. This was an amazing turnaround for a team that strayed so far from playing proper football over the past 11 months. Gotham resembled the team that put them in a position to reach the playoffs for the first time in 8 seasons.
FIGHT
Two games ago, Scott Parkinson's last game as coach, Gotham looked lifeless and without bite. Chicago was the more physical team, winning most of the duels on the ground and in the air. Gotham had lost that fight. This coaching change has reignited this teams cohesiveness, but also brought back that NJ grit and toughness this team was sorely lacking. Gotham was very physical on the night, winning 58% of their duels overall and 60 percent of their ground duels. Jean in her second start had Maria Sanchez locked down and didn't let the talented attacker have any breathing room. The fight this team shown in this match is another hallmark of this club's identity. A big step in the right direction.
Cudjoe is back
Jennifer Cudjoe is one of the most talented defensive midfielders in the league. Yet, for some reason unbeknownst to anyone outside the minds of the Parkinson and Coombe had fallen out of favor with both coaches. We at Soccer Over Gotham started the #freecudjoe campaign to show our frustration with the fans for the lack of inclusion in the line-ups. Especially when the team was struggling in the defensive midfield.
Jennifer looks rejuvenated and re-energized by her inclusion. She has been a large reason for the cohesiveness of the midfield and providing some of the bite that Gotham was lacking. Cudjoe is a presence in the midfield and even showed off some attacking flair from wide areas. Her presence in the midfield allowed for Zerboni to find the game on her way to scoring a goal and being named player of the match. Jennifer's defensive capability also allowed Kristie Mewis to finally return to the 10 where she was influential all match. It was a solid partnership between all three midfielders all match. Jennifer brings the level up of the midfield and immediately goes back to having one of the strongest midfields in the league.
We will be discussing this and more on tonight's podcast covering both games this week and previewing Gotham's return to Suburu Park, PA this Saturday. We will also have part 2 of our interview with Keeper Hensley Hancuff. Should drop later tonight.