Gary Gibson
06/13/2024
Racing Louisville(7th, 3-6-2, 15 points) vs. Gotham FC (5th, 6-3-2, 21 points)
Date: Saturday, June 15th, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM
Location: Lynn Family Stadium, Louisville, Kentucky
Where to watch: ESPN and ESPN+
Keys for a Gotham FC Victory:
Rose being Rose: Gotham FC's midfield is dangerous thanks to Rose Lavelle. Her creativity and skill on the ball make her a constant threat, while her passing helps control the game. Lavelle also adds another scoring option and boosts the team's confidence. She was also defensively active against Angel City putting in 11 recoveries. When she is at her best. Gotham is dynamic and dangerous.
Limit Racing Louisville's Counterattacks: Racing Louisville is known for their quick transitions. Gotham's defense will need to be disciplined and stay compact to prevent dangerous opportunities. Bottling up Savannah Demelo is key to shutting down Racing's counter attack.
Pressing and Patience: Gotham has the talent to control the flow of the game. Maintaining patience and creating opportunities through strategic pressing will be key. Lund is fine shot stopper but she seems to have one of those mistakes every game. Can Gotham pounce on that chance that they will eventually get.
Depth and Coaching: A deep Gotham FC squad is a winning formula. It allows Coach Amoros to rotate players, keeping them fresh and ready to perform. Amoros has his team dialed in. It seems no matter who comes off the bench and no matter if the player is playing a different position than their normal spot everyone is on the same page. Mandy Freeman's and Katie Stengel's performances against Angel City prove this. Gotham is full throttle all 90+ minutes.
Ann-Katrin Berger: Ann-Katrin Berger's experience, leadership, and recent performances make a strong case for her being among the elite goalkeepers in the world. She takes up great angles and has cat like reflexes. Teams have had to get creative to beat her. If Gotham continues their strong defensive performances Ann could be in for another shut-out.
Even History:
The head-to-head record between these two teams is tight. Historically, games have been close. The biggest victory in the series is 2-0 once. Most of these games have been 0-0 draws or 1-1 draws. There have also been six draws in 9 matches.
This will be a good test for Gotham FC. Gotham is trending upwards and is the hardest team to break down. A win would be their second against Racing Louisville.
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