Gotham FC continues its improbable postseason surge Sunday afternoon when it travels to face the defending champion Orlando Pride in the NWSL Playoffs semifinals at Inter&Co Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. The winner advances to the 2025 NWSL Championship on November 22, a stage both clubs know well after lifting league trophies in back-to-back seasons.
The matchup brings together the past two champions, with Gotham winning in 2023 and Orlando in 2024, and it renews a rivalry that has quietly delivered some of the league’s biggest momentum swings. It also highlights Gotham’s evolution into one of the NWSL’s most reliable postseason teams. This marks Gotham’s third consecutive semifinal appearance, the only team in the league to reach this stage in each of the past three years, a run that reflects roster continuity, tactical consistency, and a growing ability to deliver under pressure away from home.
Last weekend’s 2–1 extra time win over top-seeded Kansas City further strengthened the Bats’ postseason résumé. The victory snapped the Current’s perfect 2025 home record, gave Gotham the most road playoff wins in league history, and served as the club’s first ever triumph over Kansas City. It also made Gotham the first No. 8 seed to eliminate the No. 1 seed since the playoff field expanded in 2024, a result that reshaped the bracket and sent Gotham into the semifinals carrying both belief and momentum.
Gotham’s attacking fluidity played a major role in that performance. Jaedyn Shaw produced one of the standout showings of the postseason with a goal and an assist, making her, at age 20, the youngest player in league history to record multiple goal contributions in a playoff match. Her ability to unbalance defenses with pace, changes of direction, and direct 1v1 play has added a dynamic edge to Gotham’s right side. The club will also expect a major attacking influence from Midge Purce, who has scored five career goals against Orlando, the most of any player currently on the roster. Her movement between the lines and her ability to stretch defenses vertically remain central to Gotham’s transition play.
Gotham also carries confidence from its recent success in Orlando. The club leads the all-time series (11-9-7) and has won eight road matches against the Pride, including four shutouts at Inter&Co Stadium. Its most recent visit, a 2–0 victory back in August, sparked Gotham’s longest winning streak of the season and helped stabilize a campaign that had fluctuated throughout the summer. Much of that success was built on defensive structure, an area that remains essential now with goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger’s aggressive positioning and command continuing to shape how Gotham defends in transition.
Orlando enters the semifinal on a six-match unbeaten run and looks like a champion returning to form at the right time. The Pride advanced comfortably with a 2–0 win over the Seattle Reign in the quarterfinals, a match that showcased their defensive organization, sharp rotations, and ability to shrink space in transition. Even without leading scorer Barbra Banda, the Pride have continued to generate chances through wide overloads, quick combinations, and secondary runs that exploit gaps behind stretched defenses.
Head coach Seb Hines has built a tactical identity rooted in control, whether through tempo, width, rhythm, or transitional spacing. Orlando’s fullbacks are central to that approach, often pushing high to create pressure pockets and consistent crossing lanes. Their aggression in wide areas can overwhelm opponents, but it also leaves open spaces behind them, areas Gotham may try to attack early through Shaw, Purce, and Rose Lavelle’s late-arriving movements.
The midfield confrontation may decide the match. Gotham thrives when Lavelle can dictate tempo, break lines early, and force opponents into transitional mistakes. Orlando, on the other hand, is at its best when it can slow the match, reduce chaos, and force opponents into predictable patterns. If Gotham can bypass Orlando’s initial pressure and isolate defenders in wide channels, the visitors will be positioned to create the high-value chances that helped them upset Kansas City.
A major variable for Gotham is the availability of forward Esther González. The club’s leading scorer was available but unused in the quarterfinals after missing Decision Day. Her presence would add hold-up play, penalty box movement, and extra gravity that draws central defenders inside, opening space for Shaw, Purce, and Lavelle around her. Even in her absence, Gotham has shown the ability to create fluid rotations among its front three that disrupt opposing back lines.
Both defenses enter with clear strengths. Orlando’s back line remains one of the most disciplined in the league, while Gotham’s compact structure in front of Berger continues to produce clean defensive layers and predictable pressure triggers. Gotham has kept six shutouts all-time against Orlando, including multiple clean sheets at Inter&Co Stadium, a meaningful mental edge in a matchup that has often tilted toward the road team.
HEAD COACH JUAN CARLOS AMORÓS
On the semifinal matchup against the Orlando Pride
“Difficult game, playing the champions from last year of the double the shield, the championship, in their home ground. There are always difficult conditions here in Orlando as well with the weather – something that we need to be fully prepared for. It’s going to be a big challenge, but at the same time one that the team is prepared for. We’ve worked really hard this week to make sure that we are ready to be ourselves out there and to play the game that we know we can play and hopefully get one of those tickets to go to the final.”
DEFENDER LILLY REALE
On the semifinal matchup against the Orlando Pride
“The last game [against Kansas City] was a super big win. We’re just trying to carry that momentum [into] this game, and then figure out things that we can capitalize on and clean up. It’s really just keeping that momentum going and putting our best foot forward into these playoffs.”
MIDFIELDER SARAH SCHUPANSKY
On the semifinal matchup against the Orlando Pride
“This is both [myself and Lilly’s] first time in an NWSL playoff experience. Being in this environment is super fun and super exciting. It also takes a lot of focus and a lot of drive, and having those experienced players around us to show us what it takes to be successful in these moments is really helpful as well.”
Sunday marks the first playoff meeting between the Bats and the Pride, adding another dimension to a series long defined by unpredictability and away-team success. Both sides know the stakes, both understand the margins will be slim, and both have the experience to return to the NWSL’s biggest stage. One team will punch its ticket to the NWSL Championship, while the other will see its season end on a field that has shaped this rivalry for years.
