PACHUCA — A rotated Gotham FC side closed out its Concacaf W Champions Cup campaign with a 3-0 defeat to CF Pachuca in Saturday’s third-place match at Estadio Hidalgo, as the Liga MX Femenil club capitalized on an early attacking surge behind a first-half brace from captain Charlyn Corral.
Forward Aline Gomes added a late insurance goal for Pachuca, which controlled much of the evening and secured a podium finish on home soil. The result leaves Gotham FC in fourth place in the 2025-26 Concacaf W Champions Cup one year after lifting the inaugural title.
Pachuca wasted little time asserting itself and found the breakthrough in the 12th minute. Spanish defender Andrea Pereira delivered a long pass over the top that split Gotham’s back line and released Corral into space. The veteran striker took advantage, driving a low finish underneath goalkeeper Shelby Hogan to give the hosts an early 1-0 advantage.
Despite Pachuca’s strong opening spell, Gotham nearly responded midway through the first half through Jaedyn Shaw. The U.S. international created space from distance in the 25th minute and unleashed a powerful attempt from roughly 25 yards out, forcing Pachuca goalkeeper Esthefanny Barreras into a full-stretch diving save to preserve the lead.
Pachuca continued to dictate the tempo and doubled its advantage seven minutes before halftime. After working the ball cleverly off a throw-in sequence, Berenice Ibarra slipped a pass into the penalty area for Corral, who calmly buried her second goal of the night to make it 2-0 in the 38th minute.
Gotham’s best opportunity to climb back into the match came shortly after the restart. A misplaced pass across Pachuca’s defensive line fell directly to Shaw in a dangerous area, and the forward struck a powerful effort that beat Barreras but rattled the crossbar, denying Gotham a much-needed goal early in the second half.
While Gotham pushed for a breakthrough, Pachuca remained dangerous in transition and eventually put the match away in the closing stages. In the 84th minute, Gomes carried the ball forward on a weaving run through midfield before slotting a composed finish beyond Hogan to seal the 3-0 result.
“It’s a performance and an outcome that is not how we normally do things,” said Gotham FC coach Juan Carlos Amorós. “Pachuca is a great team, and I want to congratulate them and not take any credit away from them. They were better than us today, and they deserved to win the game. But I really want to highlight the effort and commitment of the whole group – the players that ultimately couldn’t play and the players that were on the pitch. They really gave everything they had. These games are definitely going to make us better in the long run.”
The loss wrapped up a difficult week in Mexico for Gotham, which entered the tournament’s final four hoping to defend the continental crown it captured during the competition’s inaugural edition last season. Instead, the NWSL side departed without a win after consecutive defeats to Club América and Pachuca.
Gotham FC now returns to league play and will look to regroup quickly as it heads back to New Jersey for a home matchup against the Houston Dash on May 31 at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
