3 things we learned from Gotham FC's Summer Cup finals loss to the KC Current

On Friday, NJ/NY Gotham FC and the Kansas City Current battled it out in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup finals.  The teams were the last ones standing after the group round and semifinals occurred during the Olympic break.  The Bats shocked everyone since they were missing so many players during the summer tournament and had a tough group.

They were missing even more players during the finals.  Gotham had seven players away for international duty.  A few more would have been away if not on the injured list, but at least two players would have played if they were available.  In other words, the NJ/NY side was truly short-staffed with their roster.  The National Team Replacement Players were helpful, but could the Bats compete with the Current?

While it was a competitive game, Kansas City had the edge offensively by scoring goals.  Gotham FC lost in the Summer Cup 2-0 after a brace from Temwa Chawinga.  The NWSL leading scorer was a player to watch and one the team needed to stop.  However, they could not keep her from scoring.

The Summer Cup loss also ended the Bats' unbeaten streak of 11 matches in all competitions.  It was not the worst loss, especially since the ladies fought for a goal until the final seconds.  So, here are three things we learned from Gotham FC’s loss to the KC Current.

3 things we learned from Gotham FC’s 2-0 loss

1. Abby Smith is back

With a few minutes to go in the Summer Cup finals, Juan Carlos Amorós put Abby Smith in goal to get her first minutes of playing time since her leg injury last summer.  He knows Ann-Katrin Berger will be between the sticks for the rest of the season, so this might have been the only time Smith could play. 

The head coach made a correct move there.  He recognized that Gotham FC would unlikely score two goals with four minutes to play.  In addition, Smith has worked extremely hard to get back on the pitch.  It was a great moment during the loss.

2. Gotham FC needed VAR in this game

As mentioned, Chawinga scored both goals against Gotham FC.  The first one was a perfect one, for Cassie Miller was off her line.  As such, the Kansas City forward chipped a ball over the Gotham goalkeeper to put the Current in front.  That would be the winning goal in the end.

However, Chawinga scored a second in a similar fashion.  The difference with this goal was that it looked offside.  The issue with the Summer Cup is that VAR was not available at any moment of the tournament.  This sadly included the finals.  Hence, there was no review of the goal.

It was close, but Chawinga was offside enough that VAR would have probably overturned the goal.  The score would have remained 1-0.  Yes, Gotham FC would still have lost since they did not score.  Yet, there is a possibility the game would have been slightly different.  It is easier to come back from being down 1-0 over 2-0.  Perhaps one of Bats would have found that extra desire to score, and would have done so.

Still, Gotham should not wonder about such things.  The truth is they were missing multiple players, and winning was a long shot.

3. The spirit and fight of Gotham FC was inspirational

As mentioned, Gotham fought until the end. They did not back down and accept defeat. The team was mixed with a few starters, bench players, and temporary signings. This did not discourage them either, for they were able to compete through the Summer Cup finals.

The Bats were impressive. Kansas City could have dominated the entire game, but Gotham FC did not allow that. The inability to score hurt them in the end, but watching their fight was inspiring. They highlighted that they can always compete regardless of who is missing.