Gotham FC aims to continue its undefeated 7-0-3 all-time record in the Concacaf W Champions Cup in the semifinal round on Wednesday.
The Bats have recently rolled off a five-match unbeaten streak in NWSL play and hope to keep that run going in the second year of the Concacaf W Champions Cup.
Defending Champions Chase Another Concacaf Final Appearance
Having won last year’s inaugural competition, Gotham has an opportunity to repeat as back-to-back champions, but first, they’ll have to advance past Club América Femenil on Wednesday.
Club América recently won Liga MX Femenil and will have plenty of supporters backing them at Pachuca’s Estadio Hidalgo.
“Every year we’re seeing an increase in the competitiveness of women’s soccer, not just in North America, but everywhere,” Gotham captain Tierna Davidson said ahead of Wednesday’s contest. “I think you can see that in leagues across the world. So I think every successive year that any of us are professionals, we see every competition that we play in increasing its difficulty.
“That’s something that we’re excited to step up to the plate and play difficult teams and succeed against difficult teams. I think also similarly, that we’ve gotten better as well. Yes, competition is difficult year over year. It is more challenging, but that’s what makes us grow. So I think we’re very excited for that.”
Club América Boasts Dangerous Attack
Gotham FC will be challenged by Club América, who are led by goal-getters Irene Guerrero, Scarlett Camberos, Montserrat Saldívar and former Gotham attacker Geyse. It should be very interesting to see how Gotham’s defense, which has earned shutouts in seven of 10 NWSL matches, deals with Club América’s high-powered attack.
That said, Gotham possess several game-changers like Jaedyn Shaw, who is on a three-match goal streak and Esther González, who took home the tournament’s Golden Ball last year.
Altitude and Atmosphere Present Additional Challenges for Gotham
The Bats also need to contend with the raucous atmosphere and the near 8,000-foot altitude of Pachuca.
“We want to make sure that we are always ready to win, competing to win,” head coach Juan Carlos Amorós stated. “Obviously, we are the defending champions, and we want to make sure that this week finishes like that as well, but we have an incredibly difficult game against América.
“I think when it comes to football, if we are able to control the game the way we want, it’s going to be the best way to control what happens. Obviously, altitude is something that last year, as well, when we came to Mexico. There are other places as well in America that we are used to.
“Obviously, it’s difficult. In an ideal scenario, we probably would have come here a few weeks in advance, but we cannot do that. So we’re trying to control everything that we can. Hydration, meals, making sure players get the rest they need. For me, it’s always about the football. If we can control the game the way we want to, then we will manage the altitude as well.”
Should Gotham reach Saturday’s final, they will meet the winner of the Washington Spirit and Pachuca, who are set to square off on the opposite side of the bracket at 10:30 p.m.
Wednesday’s match between Gotham and Club América will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. It will be available for streaming on Paramount+ in English and on ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ in Spanish.
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