3 things we learned as Gotham FC's unbeaten streak ended in San Diego loss

On Independence Day, NJ/NY Gotham FC resumed the regular season of the NWSL with a road game against San Diego Wave FC. The Bats already played one week earlier than most of the league, for they beat the Kansas City Current in the NWSL Challenge Cup. But sadly, their winning ways did not continue, for they lost 2-0 on Saturday night.

The loss ended Gotham FC’s unbeaten streak in the regular season, finishing at six matches. If one includes the Challenge Cup, then one can say that it ended at seven games. Nevertheless, the streak was good, but ending when the regular season resumed after the long break is never the best thing.

Goals from San Diego’s Melanie Barcenas and Trinity Byars sealed the win for the home side. But it was that first goal from Barcenas that stunned Gotham, for the young player scored a golazo. Ann-Katrin Berger did not make the effort to save the shot, but truth be told, the goal was one of those that most NWSL goalkeepers would not have been able to save.

Losing is not fun, but in the end, the NJ/NY side played well for the most part. They just needed to be clinical in front of the goal, but failed to do so as they did last weekend. But what did we learn from Gotham FC’s loss to the Wave?

Gotham FC had a disconnect during the game

During the match, the visitors created chances and had 15 shots. Four of those were on target. It was not like they did not try to score. Rather, the home team defended very well. And the Bats were not able to be clinical when they should have found the back of the net. The mix between the two led to zero goals.

Funny enough, though, Gotham FC easily could have had more attacking chances. The problem at hand during the 90 minutes was that the midfield had too many poor passes that went past those in the final third or right to a San Diego player. There was a disconnect between the players. The fact that it happened so often was noticeable and not something fans were used to seeing.

The NJ/NY side may have scored if they had more attacking chances. But then again, maybe not.

There is still work to do

Clearly, there is still work to do if Gotham wants to compete for the NWSL Shield and even guarantee a home playoff game months from now. The team is very talented, but so are other NWSL teams. San Diego reminded them that there is a reason they are in first place in the standings, and now the Bats are in seventh place.

It also shows how close some of the teams are, for one win or two could be the difference between a top-four spot and a bottom-playoff spot. Hence, the team needs to fine-tune some of their tactics and also find a way to score when they are struggling to do so.

The big question for Gotham FC

Not only does Gotham have work to do, but there is also now a big question for the team. As a reminder, they have a very difficult start to the rest of the season, for they are playing against teams higher than them in the table. Four of their first five matches, including the one against the Wave, are against top-four teams.

So, is Gotham FC actually as good as it shows on paper? Can the Bats compete with the best of the best? Yes, they did so against San Diego, but still lost. The next few weeks will truly show whether the team is a top one in the NWSL.

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