On Saturday 8 June, NJ/NY’s Gotham FC will face off against LA’s Angel City FC for a “Pride Game” in New Jersey at Red Bull Arena.
The home team, Gotham FC, are currently on a six game undefeated streak. Last year’s champions are now fifth on the table with 18 points.
Breakout star Ella Stevens has been crucial to this newfound success, scoring four goals in the last three games.
Newly-signed goalie Ann-Katrin Berger has also had a large impact. The German keeper, who most recently played for WSL champions Chelsea FC, has kept three clean sheets in her six games.
Angel City FC, on the other hand, has struggled through a tough first half of the season, earning only three wins and 11 points after 10 games.
The LA club’s defence has been in flux, with star centre back Sarah Gorden recently sustaining an ankle sprain. Whether or not she will be available for selection is unclear.
Rookie Madison Curry has been a new light in the team’s defence, putting in strong performances and starting most games. The versatile defender was the 51st overall draft pick of the 2024 NWSL draft, making her success and significant playing time an outlier.
Angel City has recently invested in many young players, including 17-year-old Kennedy Fuller, 16-year-old Casey Phair, and 18-year-old Gisele Thompson. It is yet to be seen whether these investments will pay off.
While Gotham is the side with the better record, the recent international break may affect their starting lineup.
Gotham internationals include Crystal Dunn, Jenna Nighswonger, Tierna Davidson, Emily Sonnett, and Rose Lavelle for the USWNT, as well as Bruninha for Brazil, and Berger for Germany.
Following an early season rife with injury, coach Juan Carlos Amoros is no stranger to squad rotation, and has a deep bench to pull from.
It is uncertain whether Lynn Williams, who recently surpassed Sam Kerr to become the NWSL’s top career goal scorer, will see minutes for Gotham this week. Williams did not play in the team’s last match, and was not included on the USWNT’s most recent roster.
This game is part of a series of “Pride games”, with each NWSL team hosting a game to celebrate Pride month during June. Players will wear custom Pride jerseys designed by queer artist Sophia Yeshi.
US viewers can watch Saturday’s game at 12:30pm EDT on CBS. It will be available for international viewers on streaming service NWSL Plus.
Featured image courtesy of Amanda Westlake.