Riding a 10-match unbeaten streak across all competitions, Gotham FC returns home Sunday for its penultimate regular season match, hosting Seattle Reign FC at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET.
Gotham (9-6-7, 34 points) enters Week 23 in third place in the NWSL standings, just one point ahead of fifth-place Seattle (9-7-6, 33 points) in a tightly packed table. Only six points separate third from ninth as the league’s postseason race intensifies.
In its most recent league outing, Gotham earned its largest home victory of the season — a 3-0 win over the Portland Thorns. Midge Purce scored her first regular-season goal since October 2023, Rose Lavelle found the net for the third time in four matches, and Katie Stengel added her first league goal since rejoining the club. Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger recorded her ninth clean sheet of the season, setting a new club record.
The Bats have been in strong late-season form once again. Over the last two years, Gotham has posted a (12-5-2) record in regular season play from August through the end of the campaign. The club has also won four of its last five league matches (4-0-1) after managing just two victories in its previous 10 outings.
Lavelle continues to drive Gotham’s attack, contributing to five goals in her last five league appearances (three goals, two assists). The team is unbeaten in all 13 matches across all competitions in which Lavelle has registered a goal involvement since joining the club in 2024 (10-0-3).
Seattle enters Sunday’s match coming off a 2-1 home win over the North Carolina Courage, its second victory in the past three games. Despite that recent uptick, the Reign have managed just two wins overall since Aug. 10.
Sunday marks the 32nd all-time meeting between Gotham and Seattle, with the Reign holding a narrow (12-10-9) advantage in the series. However, Gotham is unbeaten in five straight meetings against Seattle in all competitions (3-0-2), matching its longest such run in the rivalry. The clubs last met in the opening match of the 2025 season, a 1-1 draw at Lumen Field, with Gabi Portilho scoring in her Gotham debut.
Head Coach Juan Carlos Amorós on facing Seattle:
“Seattle is always a tough opponent — Laura [Harvey] has them well-prepared, and they play with grit and determination. Even when they don’t dominate, they find ways to get results, so we have to be sharp and ready to punish when we’re on top. It’s been a demanding stretch for us, especially balancing league play with Concacaf competition, but the players have handled it brilliantly. Hopefully, Sunday will be another moment where we can put it all together in front of our fans.”
Bruninha on facing Seattle:
“We know [Seattle] is a very strong team, and both of us are fighting for playoff qualification, aiming for the best position possible in the table. We’re preparing and studying them carefully to make sure we play our best game.”
On fighting for a top playoff spot against difficult opponents:
“This is really about our own characteristics. Our identity isn’t going to change, but preparation means focusing on the small details — the things we’ve been less consistent with in recent games. We want to maintain regularity so we can stand out against our upcoming opponents, and ultimately against Seattle.”
Following Sunday’s contest, Gotham will close the regular season on the road against the 2025 NWSL Shield winners Kansas City Current.
