The expansion Denver Summit came into the home of the defending NWSL champions and shocked onlookers on a cold and windy Wednesday night at Sports Illustrated Stadium by defeating Gotham FC 2-0.

“I think it’s obviously a disappointing night for us,” Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said following the defeat. “We had the target to be better at home. This year, we need to have more consistent performances.”

Amid injuries and a packed early schedule, Amorós has been forced into squad rotation. There have been several new faces who are being integrated into the squad, like rookies Andrea Kitahata and Jordynn Dudley, as well as returning veteran Savannah McCaskill, who began her career with Sky Blue FC.

That might partially explain why Gotham hasn’t been prolific to start the new NWSL campaign.

“We want to make sure that everyone is prepared and ready early on in the season,” Amorós stated. “We need to understand where everyone is physically and making sure that we do the rotations. They’re obviously world-class players, but they cannot play every minute of every game.”

Disjointed Gotham FC Unable to Capitalize on Chances

Through the first three matches of the new season, Gotham does not possess the scoring touch of champions. One goal scored through three matches isn’t going to cut it.

There were moments in Wednesday’s contest when Gotham looked out of sync with their passes and decision-making. Gotham also allowed Denver too many open channels to run and committed uncharacteristic giveaways.

Melissa Kossler put the Summit ahead in the 58th minute after slipping behind Gotham’s defense. Tash Flint would double Denver’s advantage in the 73rd minute after Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger committed a rare giveaway, allowing Flint to score on an empty net.

“I think that they exploited our weaknesses quite well today,” defender Jess Carter said. “I think there are a few things that we need to tidy up. We should have been a bit more compact; they exposed us quite well.”

Sunday will bring a fresh opportunity for Gotham to get back on the right foot against the visiting Orlando Pride.

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