Gotham FC Eyes Club Unbeaten Record in Pride Match vs. Portland

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (Aug. 27, 2026) - First-place Gotham FC returns home Friday for a marquee matchup against Portland Thorns FC at Sports Illustrated Stadium, hosting its annual Pride Match with an opportunity to extend its unbeaten run to a club-record 10 matches.

Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET Friday, with Prime Video carrying the national broadcast.

Gotham FC (13-3-5, 44 points) enters the match with a seven-point lead atop the NWSL standings following a scoreless draw at Angel City FC on Sunday. Gotham hit the crossbar and had a penalty saved in the final minutes but secured its league-leading 13th clean sheet of the season, pushing its unbeaten run to nine matches to tie the club record.

Portland (11-6-4, 37 points) arrives at Sports Illustrated Stadium on a three-match winning streak and sits third in the NWSL standings, level on points with second-place Washington but trailing the Spirit on goal difference. The Thorns defeated Denver Summit FC 1-0 on Saturday behind Sophia Wilson’s team-leading 10th goal of the season, while goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold recorded her seventh clean sheet.

Friday’s match marks the second meeting between Gotham FC and Portland this season after the sides played to an entertaining 2-2 draw at Providence Park on July 24. Midge Purce opened the scoring just 80 seconds into the match before Portland responded with goals from Renee Lyles and Jessie Fleming. Sam Kerr then scored her first goal in her second stint with Gotham FC to secure a point on the road.

Gotham FC holds a 12-13-9 all-time record against Portland across all competitions and has lost just once in its last seven meetings with the Thorns.

A result Friday would extend Gotham’s unbeaten run to 10 matches, establishing a new club record for the longest unbeaten streak in NWSL regular season play. Gotham enters the match unbeaten since July 4, when it fell 2-0 on the road to San Diego Wave FC.

Following Friday’s match, Gotham FC will begin a three-match road stretch, starting with the club’s first-ever trip to face Denver Summit FC in Colorado on Sunday, Sept. 6. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. ET, with CBS carrying the national broadcast.

Key Points:

• Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger recorded her 10th clean sheet of the season against Angel City FC on Sunday, becoming the first goalkeeper in NWSL history to post double-digit shutouts in consecutive seasons. She now has 28 career regular season clean sheets.
• Friday’s match will be the 300th regular season match in club history for both Gotham FC and Portland Thorns FC, making them the first two clubs in NWSL history to reach the milestone.
• Gotham FC has won its last four meetings with Portland across all NWSL competitions, including the 2024 playoff victory at Sports Illustrated Stadium – the only home playoff match in Gotham history. Gotham has conceded just two goals across those four matches.
• Gotham FC has kept four clean sheets in its last five matches, conceding just once during that span, against the Kansas City Current.