HARRISON, N.J. (June 4, 2021) – NJ/NY Gotham FC takes on OL Reign in the third home match of the 2021 NWSL regular season on Saturday, June 5, at Red Bull Arena. In celebration of Juneteenth, the match will be presented by the New Jersey Institute for Social Justice. The action kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET and will be streamed on Paramount+ (U.S.) and Twitch (international).
 
Gotham FC gets right back into action this weekend after falling 1-0 to the Portland Thorns last Sunday at home and is looking to bounce back into the win column. Despite taking their first loss of the regular season, Gotham FC created several chances and maintained good possession and passing particularly in the second half, finishing with an 80% passing accuracy. 
 
Budweiser Player of the Match Midge Purce was instrumental on both sides of the field for the team against Portland. Playing out of the right back position, Purce logged a full 90 minutes and made a total of three tackles, two clearances, two interceptions, two key passes, took one shot and made seven crosses during that time.
 
Apart from Purce, the rest of Gotham FC’s defensive line were equally vital in slowing down Portland’s attack. Caprice Dydasco, Mandy Freeman and Estelle Johnson each recorded a passing accuracy of over 85% and combined for four of the five blocks the team had. One of Kailen Sheridan’s seven saves on the night would go on to win the Save of the Week for Week 3 action. In other NWSL honors, Sheridan and Dydasco were both named to the NWSL Team of the Month for May for their defensive performances in the opening weeks of the regular season.
 
OL Reign also comes into the match following a 1-0 loss against the Washington Spirit at home on Sunday. Despite OL Reign maintaining most of the ball possession during the game (57.2%) and taking 15 shots, they were unable to find the back of the net. The Spirit capitalized on the situation, earned a corner, sent in a difficult cross for OL Reign’s goalkeeper and defense, and ended up scoring off Megan Rapinoe for an own goal.
 
Both teams will be fighting to take the three points after coming out of losses in their last games. The last time these two teams faced each other was almost a year ago during the preliminary round of the 2020 Challenge Cup with the match ending in a scoreless draw. Since then, both teams have made changes, player acquisitions, and seen the return of National Team players, making this a very different match up from last time. Of those changes, one of the most noticeable is Allie Long now playing in the Gotham FC midfield following a trade from OL Reign in April after spending just over three seasons in Tacoma. 

Freya Coombe on OL Reign:

"We look forward to playing OL Reign at RBA. They have a very attacking minded midfield and have a quality service from Rapinoe. We have to ensure we don't give away set pieces in dangerous areas. It is important for us to get back to getting points from games following last week. There were very pleasing moments from last week's game, but we have to find more quality with getting shots on target. I am looking forward to see the battle unfold in midfield."
 
The NWSL will pause momentarily for the international break before resuming action in the third week of June. Following the match on Saturday, Gotham FC will be on the road taking on the Orlando Pride at Exploria Stadium on Sunday, June 20 at 6:00 p.m. ET. Single, group and season ticket memberships are now on sale and pricing details can be found here.

 

About NJ/NY Gotham FC:
Originally named Sky Blue FC, the Club underwent a major rebrand in April 2021 and officially changed its name to NJ/NY Gotham FC. Representing New Jersey and New York, the Club plays its National Women’s Soccer League home matches at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. The Club has been part of the NWSL since the league launched in 2013. Founded in 2007, Gotham FC originally debuted as Jersey Sky Blue in the W-League of United Soccer Leagues. The Club won its first trophy as Sky Blue FC in 2009 after winning the inaugural Women’s Professional Soccer championship. Most recently, Gotham FC played in the 2021 Challenge Cup Final against the Portland Thorns, the Club’s first ever championship appearance in NWSL competition.

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