NJ/NY Gotham FC will begin its journey to the 2021 NWSL title this Saturday, May 15 in the team’s home opener at Red Bull Arena against the visiting Houston Dash. Presented to Gotham FC fans by Avaya, the match will be available for streaming on Paramount+ and Twitch (international) with kickoff set for 7:00 p.m. ET. All fans at the match will receive a Gotham FC schedule magnet and team poster, courtesy of Avaya.
With the preseason and the Challenge Cup officially in the books, Gotham FC turns its attention to the regular season. After a highly anticipated wait, made even longer by the pandemic, Gotham FC finally gets to play in front of a home crowd at Red Bull Arena.
Fresh off a scintillating performance last Saturday in the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup Championship that ultimately saw Portland prevail in match-deciding penalty kicks, Gotham FC is primed to continue to its winning ways. The team began its Challenge Cup run on a high after winning its first two games in exciting fashion, but slowly saw offensive production decline in the final two group matches. Gotham FC rallied behind the defensive performance of DiDi Haracic, who finished the tournament with three shutouts, first in saves (20), and recently nabbed NWSL Save of the Week for her fingertip save against a Christine Sinclair shot that was destined for the back of the net. Despite the loss in sudden death penalty kicks in the Challenge Cup Final, Gotham FC extends its run without a loss to six games, the second longest streak for the club, as the team heads into its home opener.
Winners of the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, the Houston Dash finished third in the Western division after compiling a record of 1-0-3. Along with Gotham FC, the Dash were one of three teams to finish the tournament unbeaten. The team entered the series with draws in their first two matches and it took the third match for the goals to start pouring in. Their main attack has been midfielder Kristie Mewis, who ranked as the fourth-highest scorer in the competition with two goals and has scored (3) or assisted (5) on eight of the Dash’s last 10 goals going back to last season’s Fall Series. Midfielder Shea Groom and forward Rachel Daly helped round out the attack registering a goal apiece.
Head Coach Freya Coombe on Challenge Cup Performance and Momentum Heading into the Regular Season
“There is an energy amongst the players that they want to keep achieving. For us, just not settling on the fact that we did well in the Challenge Cup. That’s not enough for us. It’s certainly not enough for the coaching staff. It’s not enough for the players. It’s not enough for the organization. For us to now continue to drive and use that momentum is really important and I think it helps set those higher standards for the training environment and what we can go on to achieve. It’s just the beginning.”
Single, group and season ticket memberships are now on sale and pricing details can be found here. Following this home match, NJ/NY Gotham FC will travel to Chicago to face the Red Stars on May 22 at 8:00 p.m. ET at SeatGeek Stadium.
