Gotham FC Set for Key Road Test at Bay FC in Tight Playoff Race
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Sept. 20, 2025) - Fresh off a midweek win in Concacaf W Champions Cup play that extended a seven-match unbeaten stretch, Gotham FC shifts its focus to a critical Week 21 match in the NWSL as it looks to hold third place in the standings.
Gotham visits Bay FC on Sunday at PayPal Park. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET, with coverage on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
It will be the fourth all-time meeting between the clubs, with Gotham winning the opening three, including a 2-1 comeback victory earlier this season at Sports Illustrated Stadium. That win was the second in what is now an 8-1-3 run for Gotham across all competitions since June 13.
On Tuesday, Gotham earned a 4-1 victory over Vancouver Rise FC Academy, making it three wins in three games in the 2025-26 edition of the W Champions Cup, the continental club competition whose first edition Gotham won this past May. Tuesday’s result marked Gotham’s fifth consecutive win in all competitions. The club moved closer to securing a spot in the semifinals, scheduled for 2026, moving atop the Group B standings with one match remaining.
In league play, Gotham FC (8-6-6, 30 points) entered Week 21 sitting in third in the NWSL standings, with Sunday’s match the final fixture of the weekend slate. Last week, Gotham registered a 2-0 win over the San Diego Wave, avenging its May home loss to the Wave and leapfrogging three teams in the table. Forward Esther González reclaimed the lead in the NWSL Golden Boot race, while new arrival Jaedyn Shaw scored her first goal for Gotham in her club debut.
Bay FC (4-10-6, 18 points) opened the weekend eight points off the final playoff spot and in 12th in the standings. The club has not won since June 7 and has dropped four of its last five. Bay most recently played to a 1-1 draw against the Orlando Pride, with Racheal Kundananji opening the scoring before Ally Watt equalized in the second half.
Gotham has earned 18 points on the road this season, third-best in the league. Its plus-10 goal differential ranks second in the NWSL behind only Kansas City.
Following Sunday’s match, Gotham returns home for a three-match homestand, beginning Friday, Sept. 26, against Portland Thorns FC at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
Key Points:
- Gotham FC has won each of its first three meetings with Bay FC by an aggregate score of 9-2.
- Gotham FC has won six of its nine regular-season matches in California (D1 L2), including four in a row, and could equal Orlando and Kansas City (7 each) for the most regular-season road wins in the Golden State.
- Gotham FC’s 2-0 win at San Diego Wave on Friday was the club’s sixth clean sheet on the road this season, equaling the club’s single-season record set last year. Gotham’s 16 goals allowed in 23 matches on the road since the start of last season are the fewest in the NWSL.
- Esther González scored her NWSL-leading 13th goal of the season in Gotham FC’s win over San Diego Wave on Friday, with nine of those goals being scored on the road. González is one of two players in NWSL history, along with Sam Kerr (10 in 2018, 9 in 2019), to score nine away goals in a single regular season.
- Jaedyn Shaw became the fifth player in NWSL history to score in a regular-season club debut for two different teams. The 20-year-old also scored in her San Diego debut on July 30, 2022.
