Juan Carlos Amorós conducted his first press conference since reassuming his duties as head coach on Saturday morning in Colorado.
Ahead of Gotham’s meeting with Denver Summit FC on Sunday afternoon, the two-time NWSL champion head coach provided an update on star midfielder Rose Lavelle, who has been dealing with concussion symptoms since she exited Gotham’s 0-0 away draw to Angel City FC on August 23.
“Rose is carrying on with her concussion protocol,” Amorós explained. “The injury was what it was… she’s recovering, she’s recovering well.”
Lavelle Continues Concussion Recovery
Lavelle has been participating in non-contact drills and individual training but she has yet to be cleared for full contact.
“She’s looking forward to helping the team as soon as possible,” Amorós said. “At the moment, she’s still in that process. We obviously miss her on and off the pitch. She’s obviously also one of our captains and she brings a lot to the table, not only on the pitch, but also off the pitch.”
Lavelle has scored four goals through 19 NWSL matches this season. Her 1,472 regular-season minutes played ranks seventh on the team.
Above all, the club is taking all precautions to ensure that the 31-year-old midfielder does not subject herself to prolonged symptoms by returning early.
“We want to make sure that she’s safe, that she’s good to go, that she’s 100 percent ready and the medical team is working really hard. She’s working incredibly hard behind the scenes to make sure that she’s ready to help as soon as possible.”
Anton Blackwood Departs, Ak Lakhani Moving To Second Team Role
Amorós also confirmed two changes to Gotham’s technical staff. Head of player development and management Anton Blackwood has departed the club and is returning to England and assistant coach and analyst Ak Lakhani could transition to playing an important role in Gotham’s reserve team once it launches.
“We’ve lost a couple of members of staff with Anton Blackwood coming back to England, with maybe Ak Lakhani going and managing a little bit more of our second team,” Amorós said. “So there’s been also some changes behind the scenes that are helping the team and the club to push forward.”
Former North Carolina Courage head coach Sean Nahas has been serving as a consultant and interim director of methodology. Amorós said that Nahas will take on increased responsibilities.
Gotham is currently searching for a replacement to fill Blackwood’s vacant role.
“He’s going to be tremendously missed,” Amorós said of Blackwood. “But at the same time, surely we’re going to find a solution. We’re looking for someone to take on that role and we wish him definitely all the best to him and to his amazing family.”
Gotham has yet to make a formal announcement about the changes to their technical staff. The Bats will face the Summit at Centennial Stadium at 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Sunday. CBS will carry the national broadcast.
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