The NWSL regular season resumes following an international break, highlighted by a matchup featuring two leading contenders for the Golden Boot. Temwa Chawinga of Kansas City, with six goals, is just one behind Gotham FC`s Esther Gonzalez, who has seven. These prolific scorers will face off as their teams meet for the first time this season.
Gotham FC hosts Kansas City Current on Saturday, June 7, at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. The match is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET and can be watched on CBS and streamed live on Paramount+.
Both clubs reached the NWSL semifinals in 2024 but are having different 2025 seasons. Kansas City currently leads the league with eight wins and sits in first place. They have established themselves as a strong title contender, boasting a deep roster, effective scoring, and an improved defense. Coach Vlatko Andonovski and his staff are managing an injury to MVP candidate Debinha but have the depth to maintain competitiveness as the season approaches its midpoint.
Despite being in ninth place, Gotham FC recently achieved a significant victory, winning the inaugural Concacaf Champions Cup. This triumph secures their participation in the 2026 FIFA Women`s Champions Cup qualification and the first FIFA Women`s Club World Cup in 2028. Coach Juan Carlos Amoros and his staff have faced challenges due to numerous injuries, including a season-ending ACL injury for USWNT defender Tierna Davidson. There is hope that USWNT midfielder Rose Lavelle is nearing her return from offseason ankle surgery.
Past Encounters
In the 2024 NWSL regular season, the two sides played twice, with both matches ending in 1-1 draws. Both teams qualified for the postseason that year but were eliminated in the semifinal round.
Gotham FC`s Perspective
Coming off their Concacaf W Champions Cup win, the East Coast team is confident. This adds another trophy alongside their 2023 NWSL Championship and builds anticipation for future international competitions. Gotham`s participation in the tournament meant they caught up on league matches, and all NWSL teams have now played ten games. This puts Gotham in ninth place, just outside the 2025 playoff positions. With the season`s halfway point approaching, coach Juan Carlos Amoros believes this is the crucial time for Gotham to climb the standings.
“The competition in Mexico was different, obviously, with the extra time, with different opposition to the NWSL, different challenges, different weather conditions, but at the end of the day, it’s another football game where we want to be Gotham,” Amoros stated. “We want to entertain our fans, enjoy the gameplay, and get the three points.”
“Obviously, paying extra attention, we can`t ignore the fact that at the moment they’re top of the table, in their own right they’ve been the best team this year so far. So, we need to make sure, hopefully, that we stop that run, and then we can get three points out of them,” he added.
Kansas City Current`s View
Maintaining a first-place position in a long season is challenging, and the Current are not underestimating Gotham. Coach Vlatko Andonovski sees the road trip to New Jersey as a significant test for his team.
“I just think that they’re dangerous,” Andonovski commented. “You can tell that even though they maybe didn’t get the goals or the points — as many this year, they’re creating a lot, and creating in a way that not many teams can do. We know that going to New Jersey to play Gotham, it’s going to be a difficult test for us, and we don’t take it lightly. We don’t even look at the standings, or where they stand, or how many goals they’ve scored or not. We just analyze them as a team, and we see a lot of good things that they do.”
“Gotham is a very interesting team. They’re very, very savvy. Very free-flowing and creative. So, they present different challenges than most teams, if not different challenges than all the teams in the league,” he explained. “Because they do all kinds of different rotations, it’s hard to follow everything that they do. So, we have to be so alert and focused for 90 minutes, because if you just shut down for a second, they’ll punish you. They’ll have such great individuals that they’ll punish you. They’ll take advantage of it.”
Predicted Lineups
Gotham FC: Ann Katrin-Berger; Lily Real, Emily Sonnett, Jess Carter, Mandy Freeman; Jaelin Howell, Taryn Torres, Geyse, Sarah Schupansky, Midge Purce, Esther Gonzalez
Kansas City Current: Lorena; Hailie Mace, Kayla Sharples, Elizabeth Ball, Izzy Rodriguez; Vanessa DiBernardo, Lo`Eau LaBonta, Claire Hutton; Haley Hopkins, Temwa Chawinga, Bia Zaneratto
Player to Watch
Sarah Schupansky, Gotham FC: This rookie attacker has been a standout performer for Gotham, particularly during early-season injuries. She has taken on increased responsibilities in playmaking and defense, and her consistent, reliable performances are making selection decisions challenging for the coaching staff as more experienced players return to form. The University of Pitt alumna has been learning from veteran players, including Rose Lavelle.
“Rose is coming back now, and that is something that I’ve been so excited for because I’ve been watching her for the longest time, the biggest fan of her, and she’s just turning out to be the best person ever as well,” said Schupansky.
“Now that she’s getting more involved, she’s calling me over and helping me with the little idiosyncrasies that come with playing the number 10 position, and I don’t think there’s anybody better in the world to be learning from than her. So that’s been really special as well, but I think there’s so much to learn from every single person on the field, even if they’re not in your position,” she added.
Prediction
The break for international fixtures may have allowed some injured players extra recovery time, which could influence the match`s flow as both teams look to shake off any rust. The result could be close. Pick: Gotham FC 2, Kansas City Current 1
