Gotham FC vs C.F. Pachuca Femenil preview: Looking to leave with something

After the disappointment of their semifinal loss to Club América Femenil on Wednesday night, NJ/NY Gotham FC will look to hopefully leave Mexico on a high note. They'll take on C.F. Pachuca Femenil in the third-place match of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup knockout stage to wrap up their trip south of the border.

While Gotham FC will want to win this game, their best course of action might instead be to use this match to give some of the depth players time and rest their usual starters. While the NJ/NY side had their fair share of midweek matches, they haven't rotated much in these games. Younger players like Khyah Harper, Mak Whitham, and Andrea Kitahata have seen little game time, while players like Emily Sonnett and Lilly Reale are coming back from injury. Add to that how small the stakes are for this game, and it might be in Gotham's best interest to give most of the playing to the players listed above.

For Pachuca, their motivation to win this game will be at an all-time high. Not just to avenge their loss to the Washington Spirit in the semifinals, but also because this knockout stage is being played at their home stadium. They will want to get this win in front of their home fans.

This game is one that neither team wanted to play in going into this knockout phase of the tournament. But while they're both here now, they'll enter this game with potentially different goals and motivations in mind. Here is a preview of Saturday's third-place game.

Gotham FC vs C.F. Pachuca Femenil preview

Date

The fixture will be played on Saturday, May 23.

Time

The match is scheduled to begin at 6:00 PM ET, 4:00 PM local.

Location

The game will be played at Estadio Hidalgo in Pachuca, Mexico.

How to watch

The fixture will be streamed on Paramount+ and CBS Sports GOLAZO Network in English and ESPN Deportes and ESPN+ in Spanish.

Weather

There will be a chance of thunderstorms all afternoon, with a 45% chance throughout the course of the match. Wind speeds will be around 10 mph with gusts potentially reaching 20 mph. Humidity will stay around 50-60%, and the temperature will be around 70 degrees.

Injury report

CONCACAF does not require teams to release an injury report prior to their games. The best information that can be provided is the report from the game against Seattle Reign FC from last Friday night, as well as the absence of goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger following her injury during Wednesday night's semifinal.

Bruninha (hamstring), Kayla Duran (knee - SEI), Mandy Freeman (lower leg), Rose Lavelle (hamstring), and Taryn Torres (knee - SEI) will likely be out with Berger.

Players to watch

It is a little hard to pick a player to watch for Gotham, given that there is expected to be a fair amount of rotation. One player who should see substantial playing time is Sarah Schupansky. Schupansky has not had the season she would have expected so far, with no goal contributions in 11 appearances. She has accumulated only 326 minutes across all competitions so far this season, a relatively small amount compared to her importance to the club last season. This would be a great game for her to get some minutes and hopefully help build her confidence.

For Pachuca, 34-year-old Charlyn Corral has been their top scorer in Liga MX Femenil Clausura play with 16 goals in 19 matches. Hence, fans should also watch her. While she has not managed to find the back of the net in Champions Cup play, the forward will surely be one of the most likely to find the back of the net for Pachuca on Saturday.

Prediction

While the Bats will not field their strongest lineup and Pachuca will be extra motivated to win this game, Gotham FC will have enough to eke out a 1-0 win with the goal coming from Jordynn Dudley on an assist from Schupansky. It will not be easy and could very easily swing the other way, but hopefully, with some fresh faces and a better understanding of how to deal with the altitude, they can pull off the victory and leave Mexico on a high.

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