Gotham FC are looking to bounce back against the Utah Royals on Friday night after last Saturday’s disappointing 2-0 defeat to San Diego Wave FC.
The Fourth of July loss ended Gotham’s three-month NWSL unbeaten streak. Last time out at Snapdragon Stadium, the Bats lacked sharpness and struggled to connect with each other in the final third.
“I think we really need to look at how we want to play with the ball and possession,” veteran defender Mandy Freeman said following the defeat in San Diego.
“We’re making a lot of mistakes, really disconnected. So moving forward for the second half of the season, we really want to work on fine-tuning those connections, especially in the final third, so that we can get good chances with the opportunities that we create.”
Sarah Schupansky: ‘There’s a Lot of Problem-Solving Going On’
Midfielder Sarah Schupansky said that the squad are focusing on finding a remedy to get back on track against a difficult opponent in fourth-place Utah.
“There’s a lot of problem-solving going on,” Schupansky said during Thursday’s pre-match press conference. “We have so many capable staff members that are able to help us with different aspects of the game. Utah is an incredible opponent. They’re having a great season thus far, so it’s going to be a challenging game.
“We’re just taking a lot of things from San Diego, but also trying to implement those changes into our game plan against Utah. So there’s a lot of specific nuances that we’re focusing on, but overall, I think the team is in a really good place. It’s kind of not forget your last performance, but accept what happened and move on, because it’s a really quick turnaround within the league. So we’re just excited to have another opportunity to prove ourselves against a great opponent.”
Head coach Juan Carlos Amorós recognizes the threat brought by Utah’s aggressive pressing style.
“I think it’s going to be a high-paced game, very intense, and I hope we can dominate and win it,” Amorós stated.
“We’re going to have to be very good when we recover the ball, especially because it’s not only on the high press initially, but also on the counter press. We put a lot of emphasis on making sure that we are good on those moments when we regain the ball, especially, because as I said, it’s going to be a very intense game and a game that’s going to require concentration mentally and quality technically.
Gotham Looking to Solve Final Third Issues
It’s been said that with great risk comes great reward. Amorós is challenging his players to unlock opposing defenses by playing with a bit more risk.
“We just need to be sometimes a little bit more brave and risky in that zone,” Amorós explained. “I think we are very, very good on getting into that zone in terms of taking risks and playing under pressure. [Against San Diego], when we got to the zone, we probably couldn’t put together that decision making with the execution.”
“I think that’s something we’ve been working on, what areas we want to occupy the balls, what areas we want to attack the frame of goal. I think the team has been growing in that aspect, but it’s definitely something we want to keep pushing.”
Friday’s match at America First Field will continue a packed schedule of 10 matches over 49 days through August 28. This demanding set of games means that Gotham will be in action once every five days.
Squad Rotation Could Be Key During Busy Stretch
With Freeman and right-back Bruninha continuing to receive increased minutes in their return from long-term injuries and midfielder Taryn Torres closing in on a return to match action, Amorós will finally be able to make use of squad rotation to combat the busy stretch.
UPDATE (9:15 P.M): Gotham FC have announced the following starting lineup and substitutes:
Goalkeeper: Berger
Defenders: Sonnett, Carter, Davidson (C), Reiten
Midfielders: Howell, McCaskill, Lavelle
Forwards: Dudley, Esther, Shaw
Subs: Hogan, Bruninha, Cook, Freeman, Harper, Kitahata, Purce, Schupansky, Sommer
“For me, we have 26 players,” Amorós said. “We’re really trying to make sure everyone is ready to compete and play at any given time. Hopefully, soon Sam [Kerr] will become available. Having Taryn, Mandy and Bruninha back means the team is only getting stronger.
“We still miss Kayla [Duran] with that long-term injury, but we’re in a good place where we’re getting people back, and that’s only going to make us stronger. We’re always making sure everyone is ready. That’s been shown in the way we’ve used the squad. Every outfield player has already played minutes, and we’ve used two of our four goalkeepers.
“Everyone has shown how important they are. It’s down to them. The players whose commitment, attitude and performances are the best are normally the ones who earn the most playing time.”
Friday’s kick-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. Eastern Time. The match will be broadcast on Victory+.
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