Gotham FC’s unbeaten streak might have come to an end on Saturday, but their playoff chances are still alive.
Gotham’s 2-0 road loss to Kansas City at CPKC stadium on Saturday puts the team back into fourth place in NWSL standings.
The hard-fought match remained close throughout, with 34 fouls called between the two clubs and neither team attempting a shot in the first 30 minutes.
Gotham did have some chances, with shots from Katie Stengel and Rose Lavelle just missing the net during two key plays in the game..
Kansas City (20W-2D-2L) holds the best record in the league by a wide margin, 16 points ahead of No. 2-seeded Washington.
“It was a game of fine margins,” Gotham FC coach Juan Carlos Amoros told reporters. “The team executed the game plan really well — we limited their opportunities and had control of the ball, but they were more clinical in front of goal and got the three points. Hopefully, we play them again at some point in the playoffs.
“It’s one of those games that stays with you because you lose it and want another chance soon. Overall, I’m really happy with the work the players and staff put in and how they overcame every situation. It was just one of those games.”
Before Saturday’s loss, Gotham was on an 11-game unbeaten stretch across all competitions — tied for the longest streak in the franchise’s history — which had included seven (4W-3D) against NWSL play.
Gotham (9W-8D-7L) still has the opportunity to clinch a postseason berth this weekend if Washington beats North Carolina on Saturday and with an Angel City win or draw over Houston on Sunday.
A top-four finish also means Gotham would host a playoff match, something that GM Yael Averbuch West said the club was “ambitious” to achieve.
“We’d like to host a playoff game,” West previously told The Post. “We’re incredibly ambitious. We also realize there are a couple teams that have gotten a really, really solid head start, but when we look at the table, we want to be right up there, and the opportunity to host a playoff game, I think that’s a realistic target.”
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
