Last season, Gotham FC finished at the rock bottom of the NWSL with a 4-17-1 record and only 13 total points. The bleakness of the 2022 campaign sat as a backdrop to failure as a club and a franchise in our nation’s largest metropolitan area. Would the 2023 season bring a change of fortune for this side?
Welcome to the 2023 NWSL season.
On Sunday, any lingering questions surrounding whether or not Gotham FC could shake off the dismal 2022 season were put to rest as they pulled off a convincing 2-1 victory over Angel City FC in Los Angeles. Before a sellout Opening Day crowd of 22,000 fans at BMO Stadium, Gotham FC had an oppotunity to show soccer fans that this truly is a new year and essentially a new team.
With multiple offseason acquisitions (including six in the starting eleven lineup), Gotham FC took full advantage of a new year to show off a new squad. Despite being scored on by top 2023 NWSL draft pick Alyssa Thompson first, the USWNT duo of Midge Purce and Lynn Williams put Gotham FC over the top for a convincing 2-1 road win. The new NWSL VAR was tested for the very first time in this match as a goal by Angel City FC’s Jun Endo was called back due to a penalty that occured in an assist on the shot.
Gotham FC did lose new team captain Ali Krieger early on in the first half with a calf injury and was replaced by first round draft pick Jenna Nighswonger from Florida State. On the road and with basically a new squad, Gotham FC looked solid in their first test this season. Of course, the 2023 campaign is a marathon and not a sprint but there’s some sort of a psychological edge to winning the first game of the season – especially on the road in front of a sellout crowd. Welcome to the 2023 season and things point already to a reversal of forturnes from last year for Gotham FC.
