Week 7 recap: Clicking

Gotham FC took care of business Wednesday night, earning another 3 points after a 2-0 win over the Chicago Stars on the road. Early goals from Jordynn Dudley and Rose Lavelle allowed the Bats to take their foot off the gas and spend most of their time managing the game. 

What’s there to take away from this one?

Gotham is being smart in handling a busy week

Surprisingly, the Bats’ starting lineup saw no changes from the 3-0 win over Bay FC just four days before this match. Given that Gotham has their next game just four days after this one, we had expected to see a bit more rotation in personnel for the midweek game, but Gotham’s coaching staff actually handled this pretty intelligently. 

The Bats started this game off with a lot of intensity, creating 10 shots, 1.2 xG, and of course 2 goals in the first 40 minutes while only allowing their opponents 2 shots, neither of which was on target. Lead assistant coach Shaun Harris noted that, “When you score as early as that, it really sets the tone for the rest of the game.” When asked about managing players’ minutes during such a busy part of the schedule, he said that, “that’s why we push to start fast and get a lead early so we can control and manage the game. When the game is tighter, it’s more difficult, but when we feel comfortable and the game is going our way, we can make changes and get players rest.” In addition to substitutions allowing players rest, not having to chase a goal also allows the players on the field to expend a lot less energy.

At the time of the Bats’ first substitutions in the 62nd minute of the game, the Chicago Stars had managed just 4 shots, all off-target. Defenders Tierna Davidson and Guro Reiten, both of whom are on minutes restrictions as they work their way up to full match fitness, as well as Midge Purce, who is needed at right back for every game in the foreseeable future, were the first starters to come off. The trio made way for two sophomores and a rookie in Lilly Reale, Sofia Cook, and Talia Sommer. Reale took Reiten’s spot at left back, Sommer took Purce’s spot at right back, and Cook took over in the midfield as defensive midfielder Jaelin Howell migrated to Davidson’s now-vacant center back position. And that wasn’t all for the defensive musical chairs—in the 76th minute, rookie Andrea Kitahata came on for Howell. This move saw Reale take over for Howell at center back as Kitahata took her spot at left back.

The difference in intensity between the beginning and the end of the match can be seen in the pass networks for the two periods. 

Gotham came out swinging in the first 30 minutes of the game, with all but three field players having an average position inside the attacking half of the pitch. In contrast, only three players could say the same in the last 30 minutes of the game, despite the team having more passes overall and more possession of the ball. The Bats managed this game very well, making sure the scoreline didn’t change between minute 10 and minute 92 while expending as little energy as possible. However…

The Bats got lucky

Gotham’s patchwork defense definitely far exceeded expectations, but it still wasn’t perfect. Although they got the clean sheet in the end, they still conceded 1.26 xG to the Chicago Stars. Let’s take a look at some of the moments where the Bats’ defense could have been a little better.

Moment 1: 51’, 0.64 xG

There were a couple of factors that contributed to Gotham conceding the single-highest xG chance this game. The Bats’ high line that helps them so much in the attack left them vulnerable to a counterattack here. Also, fullbacks Midge Purce and Guro Reiten being natural attackers didn’t help, as the two were occupying higher positions on the pitch that were harder to track back from. Center back Tierna Davidson tried her best here, but she was outnumbered by Chicago attackers as her teammates sprinted to catch up. If the shot had been on target, AKB had no chance of saving it. The takeaway here is that Gotham’s defense could stand to be a little more disciplined but a) we’re not going to ding the players who aren’t even meant to be playing defense for one moment of weakness and b) we’ll take luck like this wherever the team can get it.

Moment 2: 16’, 0.26 xG

This one comes from a poor giveaway inside the 18-yard box which, although unpleasant, is not necessarily indicative of a systemic problem. Gotham had enough defenders around to quickly react but again, since Midge Purce was so high up the pitch, there was no one around to track the runner coming in on that side. While this chance was a lot less catastrophic than the last, it’s still not the kind that the Bats would be wanting to give up.

Moment 3: 43’, 0.09 xG

This chance is again all about Gotham losing a foot race, as Jess Carter’s mark speeds by her to get in a good spot to deliver the ball to the central attacker. Said central attacker is also left pretty open by Tierna Davidson who is so focused on covering ground that she fails to realize how much space she’s left Jordyn Huitema to shoot. Again, the Bats get lucky with the shot.

Moment 4: 85’, 0.07 xG (0.28 PSxG).

This one isn’t as much about luck (it’s a relatively easy save for AKB at the end of the day) but is still a good example of how quickly defensive errors can be exploited. First, Lilly Reale lets an interceptable ball through and then Jess Carter allows herself to get in an unfavorable 1v1 with Chicago’s striker.

All of these moments show that although Gotham’s defense is doing enough to earn clean sheets, there still is some shakiness that illustrates the growing pains of this ever-changing back line. 

Gotham’s attack is finally firing

For the second game in a row, Guro Reiten expressed that there could have been more goals despite a multi-goal performance. This week, she isn’t wrong. Although Gotham wasn’t necessarily pressed about scoring more than the two they got early on, they definitely created some quality chances. Let’s start by looking at the goals, though.

This one starts with a recycled play that goes all the way back to center back Tierna Davidson. Davidson is under pressure, but manages to put that Chicago player on skates before distributing the ball out wide to an open Guro Reiten. Reiten has a nifty ball forward to Jaedyn Shaw, who has the space to deliver a ball across the box that somehow no one, in Gotham or Chicago colors, gets a touch on before it reaches the other end and is shuttled in by rookie Jordynn Dudley. Dudley’s run gets her first goal of the season 46 seconds into the match; this is the 2nd-fastest goal in club history and 13th-fastest goal in league history.

This goal came from a little bit of going quick, a little bit of great passing, a little bit of Guro Reiten’s picture perfect cross, and a lot of leaving Rose Lavelle wide open on the far post. Gotham does deserve credit here for making that happen—Dudley and Esther González draw defenders away from Lavelle with their movement, while Lavelle manages to remain undetected until it becomes clear where the cross is going—but Gotham once again capitalizes off of some incompetence. 

Moments before Lavelle scored the second of the game, Esther almost got her name on the scoresheet. Gotham moves so quick here, effortlessly breaking through Chicago’s pressure to get themselves in a 3v2 situation up top. Once Esther gets in the box, she deliberates her next move—pass right to a wide open Jordynn Dudley, perhaps?—before deciding to have a go herself, and it misses by the barest of margins.

Reiten and Lavelle nearly combine again, but Lavelle whiffs on the final shot. This is definitely a mistake she can afford with her team up 2-0, and this is a great sign of Reiten’s ability and what she can continue to add to the team.

Another Lavelle whiff that we’re not going to spend any time stressing about because look at that ball from Jordynn Dudley! She uses the back of her left foot to thread it through the defense and get it right where it needs to be.

Some questionable defending right in front of the goal after Lavelle has a perfect ball right to the feet of Esther.

Again, some gorgeous creativity and technique on display as the front four of Shaw, Lavelle, Dudley, and Esther make a high-quality chance out of thin air. It just wasn’t Esther’s day.

Each one of these forwards played so well in this game, and we are so excited to see them continue to connect and create throughout the season.

Bonus: Jaedyn Shaw’s one-in-a-million cooler goal.

Looking ahead to next match

Gotham is back at home this weekend, playing Racing Louisville on Sunday, May 3rd at 5 PM ET at Sports Illustrated Stadium. The match will also be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network. Louisville currently sits in 15th in league standings, with one win, one draw, and four losses to their name. Although their most recent result was a loss to the Washington Spirit on Wednesday, they won their fixture against the Orlando Pride last Friday and have scored more goals this season than the Bats have, so Gotham’s defense will have to remain disciplined. 

Gotham has beaten Louisville just once in the 3 seasons that both Juan Carlos Amorós and Racing head coach Bev Yanez have been part of their respective teams’ coaching staff. So pulling off a win here, especially on tired legs, will not be the easiest task. Hopefully Gotham’s momentum will continue as they finish out this 3-game week. 

Thumbnail courtesy of Gotham FC.