Father's Day, June 19th. Gotham FC faces off against expansion side San Diego Wave at 4pm at Red Bull Arena on CBS. Here are the items of note.
The Narrative:
Things didn't go to plan last time out when Gotham traveled to San Diego. 3 completely unforced errors led to Alex Morgan scoring 4 goals and achieving a nearly perfect Fotmob score of 9.7. Gotham, a team that rarely looks rattled by anything were visibly frustrated and a bit defeated at times.
As an athlete, losing a game the way Gotham did stings and lights a deep desire for on field revenge. Expect Gotham to go for it this match and try to press the Wave into mistakes. This Game is both a Father's day match and Juneteenth celebration. There should be a great vibe in Red Bull Arena.
By the Numbers:
Gotham FC has 3 games in hand on first place Wave and are 6 points behind the leader. Despite being seemingly disconnected on field, Gotham is in position to run up the table if they string together a couple wins. Gotham is 12th in goals per game yet 5th in goals conceded. This teams strength is it's defensive effort. If you take away the anomaly of a game against the Wave, Gotham has only given up 2 goals in the 5 other games they have played. Gotham leads the league in clearances at 24.8 per game.
The struggle for this team has been turnovers. Gotham is 11th in accurate passes in the league and 11th in average possession. If Gotham is going to win this one, they are going to have to keep possession and keep the ball away from Alex Morgan.
Matchup of the week:
Ali Krieger VS Alex Morgan. Ali has had a very good start to the season and played well in every game and has won most of her matchups. Ali needs to have another game like she had against Press and slow Morgan down and force her into traffic. Last time out, Kawasumi was the player starting along side Zerboni. This time Torres should be the player sharing the defensive responsibilities. With Zerboni and Torres on the field at the same time Gotham's defense is near impossible to breakdown. Torres should add the needed assistance to Krieger in stopping the league leading goal scorer in Morgan.
Expected Line-up:
Media of the week:
Our latest podcast featuring CBS Attacking Third's host Lisa Roman
Mickey Mic's podcast with Guest Hensley Hancuff Gotham FC keeper
Jenna Tonelli's interview with retiring Gotham FC defender Gina Lewandowski:
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