Match Preview: Angel City at NJ/NY Gotham FC | 6.8.24

Saturday, June 8, at 9:30 a.m. PT, Angel City is on the road against NJ/NY Gotham FC. The match will be broadcast over the air on CBS and will stream on Paramount+. An English-language radio broadcast will be available on iHeart.

Matchup

Angel City last played at home against San Diego Wave on May 23, a match that ended in a scoreless draw. The game, ACFC’s second shutout of the season, saw a standout performance by goalkeeper DiDi Haračić.

Gotham’s last game was a 2–0 win away at Bay FC. The two goals were scored by forward Ella Stevens one after the other, in the 31st and 33rd minutes.

Following that result, Gotham are in fifth place with a 5–2–3 (W–L–D) record. Angel City are in 11th with a 3–5–2 record.

Against Gotham, Angel City are 1–2–1 all time. Their most recent matchup, on July 2 last year, ended in a scoreless draw. 

Scouting Report

Gotham, the reigning NWSL champions, added four USWNT players to their roster in the offseason: defenders Tierna Davidson and Emily Sonnett, and midfielders Crystal Dunn and Rose Lavelle. That group joined an already strong roster featuring the likes of all-time NWSL scoring leader Lynn Williams, 2023 Rookie of the Year Jenna Nighswonger, and Spanish internationals Esther González and Maitane López.

Despite their superteam aura, Gotham have struggled to score this season, with just ten goals to date. Stevens, who scored the team’s two goals in their last game, is the club’s leading scorer, with four; Williams is just behind her with three. 

What Gotham do have is the strongest defense in the league, having conceded just seven on the season. Sonnett, Davidson, and former Reign defender Sam Hiatt, who the club also signed in the offseason, have no doubt contributed to that record. Equally important, however, is the continuity from last season in terms of coaching staff and playing style, as Gotham was also one of the top teams defensively in 2023.

Around the World

Both Angel City and Gotham had a number of players see playing time for their national teams in the FIFA window that ended earlier this week. For Gotham, five players—Davidson, Dunn, Lavelle, Nighswonger, and Sonnett—were called in for the US, while goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger and defender Bruninha reported to camp for Germany and Brazil, respectively.

Angel City had five players called up for international duty: forward Claire Emslie for Scotland, forward Casey Phair for Korea, defender Ali Riley for New Zealand, midfielder Rocky Rodríguez for Costa Rica, and defender Gisele Thompson for the US U-20s.

Emslie, who started two Euro qualifying matches against Israel, notched a brace in Scotland’s first game, on May 31.