NJ/NY Gotham FC vs. Washington Spirit: Champions Cup preview, time, and how to watch
Washington Spirit face their toughest match yet of the Concacaf W Champions Cup tonight when they face returning champions. NJ/NY Gotham FC. Both teams are undefeated in the competition so far, so this could be the deciding match of Group B.
You can read more about the Concacaf W Champions Cup in our tournament preview, get ready for tonight’s match here, and chat with us in the comments during the game!
The opponents
Gotham FC won the inaugural W Champions Cup on May 24 in a 1-0 match against Tigres, and now they’re going for a repeat. After struggling with injuries earlier in the year, they’re healthy and racking up points — both in the tournament and in the NWSL. They’ll have plenty of firepower to rival Washington’s, as well, including last year’s Golden Ball winner, Esther González, the newly-signed Jaedyn Shaw, and star Rose Lavelle.
With Gotham, like the Spirit, fighting to lock down a home match in NWSL playoffs, it will be interesting to see how they balance the need to rest for the weekend’s league game and the chance to lock down first place in Group B.
Projected starting XI
MacIver
Ratcliffe -Abiodun – Sylla – McKeown – Wiesner
Narumi – Stainbrook – Bethune
Cantore – Monday
Tonight’s starting lineup is complicated by a few factors. First, the stakes (and intraleague rivalry) mean both teams may be tempted to start more of their usuals than we’ve seen in this tournament so far. Second, a number of Spirit defenders — including Courtney Brown, Rebeca Bernal, and Paige Metayer — were injured on Sunday, and it’s unclear whether they’ll be back tonight. Third, with Ashley Hatch and Ouleye Sarr out for the season, and Chloe Ricketts headed to Houston, the Spirit are suddenly short on forwards as well.
For my projection, I’ve included most players who played 45 minutes or fewer on Sunday, left out the possibly injured defenders, and thrown in a few ringers. Let me know if you disagree with my predictions in the comments!
Standings
Here’s how Group B is looking heading into tonight’s game.
| Team | MP | W | D | L | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NJ/NY Gotham FC | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 6 |
| Washington Spirit | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 11 |
| C.F. Monterrey | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Vancouver Rise FC Academy | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | -7 |
| Alianza FC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -17 |
Location: Subaru Park, Chester, PA
Kick-off time: 7 p.m. ET
Available streaming: Paramount+
There is no one there for this. Curious if it’s not really local teams, ticket costs, or both.
I think it’s not-really-local teams, on a Wednesday night, in a tournament that’s not being advertised by Concacaf at all. The Spirit home game was not especially well-attended either.