3 things we learned from Gotham FC's semifinal loss to the Washington Spirit

It was a beautiful fall day in Washington, D.C. when NJ/NY Gotham FC faced the Washington Spirit in the semifinals of the NWSL Playoffs.  A sold-out Audi Field filled with the home side’s fans and some of the visitors’ supporters turned the stadium into a crazy, energetic, and loud environment.  As such, the Bats had a challenging match in front of them.

Gotham FC knew what was at stake.  They had to beat a team that got the best of them in the regular season.  They also could not afford any mistakes made against Portland Thorns FC in the quarterfinals.  The difference is Washington is a team that likely would have capitalized on the errors.  The Bats knew they had to be perfect in the backline and Ann-Katrin Berger had to be her usual self.

For most of the game, Gotham FC was superb defensively.  However, despite having the 1-0 lead entering stoppage time in the second half, Washington found a late equalizer to force extra time.  After 120 minutes of play, the teams were still tied 1-1 and went into a penalty kick shootout.  Ultimately, the Washington Spirit came out on top to knock Gotham out of the NWSL Playoffs.

It was an unfortunate end, but the Bats still had a fantastic season.  Alas, here are three things we learned from Gotham FC’s exit in the semifinals. 

3 things we learned from Gotham FC’s loss to the Spirit

1. Gotham FC should do a bus trip to every game in D.C.

Regardless of the result, Gotham FC was fantastic to offer transportation for some of the traveling fans.  They did a couple of pick-up spots and then bussed some of the supporters down to Audi Field.

The Bats should consider doing this for all of the close games in the future.  Of course, D.C. is currently the closest city and the only possible city the team could offer bus transportation.  There will be another option in 2026 when Boston joins the NWSL.  Until then, Gotham should do this for all away games against the Washington Spirit.

2. Ann-Katrin Berger was much better in the semifinals

After an unlikely performance against Portland, Berger was much better in the semifinals.  In regulation and extra time, she had nine saves.  She also knew when to come out of goal and did not make any mistakes.  The backline also performed strongly, but Washington outplayed the NJ/NY team offensively. 

Therefore, Berger had to be at the top of her game.  Without the goalkeeper, the Spirit would have won in regulation and probably would have scored two or three goals.  The goal in stoppage time with a few minutes to go was not shocking either.  Hal Hershfelt scored via a perfect header too, as Esther González did in the second half.

Berger also went down three times but managed to get back up and continue playing.  Her strength on the pitch was vital to the Bats all season long.  Sadly, she could not get a stop in the penalty kick shootout, but realistically the 3-0 result was due to Gotham’s poor shots.  Berger did everything she could to keep her team in the game. 

3. Questions surround Gotham FC in extra time and the shootout

Juan Carlos Amorós is one of the best head coaches in the NWSL.  After all, he was nominated for Coach of the Year.  However, his substitution choices at the beginning of extra time were interesting.  He took Rose Lavelle and Yazmeen Ryan out and put on Cece Kizer and Jéssica Silva.  That is not to say the two subs were not great, for they performed well during their 30 minutes of play.  Rather, it did not make sense to take off two of the better players in the match.  Both players would have been great options for the shootout too.

Gotham FC had a few extra chances in extra time, so would Lavelle’s presence on the pitch have made a difference?  Could the Bats have scored the second goal?  These are questions that will be asked as fans ponder the loss.

Subsequently, what happened in the penalty kick shootout?  Washington’s players all took fantastic kicks, while González, McCall Zerboni, and Jenna Nighswonger failed to convert and score.  With that said, the kicks were not well taken.  If anything, González had the best chance, but did the team not practice?  Why did Lynn Williams not take one of the penalty kicks?

The ending was not ideal, but Gotham FC should have been better, especially in the shootout.  It was a sad way to end an otherwise fantastic season.