Gotham FC vs North Carolina Courage preview: Down to the wire on Decision Day

Coming off an international break that saw nine players in action, NJ/NY Gotham FC will head into their final match of the regular season as they visit the North Carolina Courage. Both teams are in must-win situations heading into Decision Day. The Bats hope to earn a home quarterfinal playoff match, while the Courage are just hoping to make it into the playoffs coming out of Sunday's match.

A playoff-style atmosphere could be in store, as North Carolina announced a sellout of 11,000 people is expected, breaking the pro women's sports attendance record in the state. Plus, they need a win and for Racing Louisville to lose or draw their match against Bay FC in order to pass them for the eighth and final playoff spot.

But Gotham also has things out of their control and must rely on results in other games. In addition to a win, they will need San Diego Wave FC to drop points against the Kansas City Current in the lone early window game, and for the Portland Thorns FC to also drop points against the Houston Dash. With a win, they will also jump one of the Orlando Pride or Seattle Reign in the standings, as those two teams play each other, meaning that one of them will drop points and fall below the NJ/NY side in the table.

Depending on how all of this weekend's results play out, the Bats could find themselves anywhere from fourth and hosting a playoff match, or eighth and having to visit the record-breaking Shield winners, Kansas City, in round one. Even if nothing else goes their way on Sunday, a win will potentially set them up for a rematch of last year's playoff semifinal game away to the Washington Spirit. Here is a preview of Gotham FC's Decision Day matchup.

Gotham FC vs North Carolina Courage preview

Date

The game will be played on Sunday, November 2.

Time

The match is scheduled to begin at 5:00 PM ET.

How to watch

The fixture will be broadcast on ESPN and streamed on ESPN Select/ESPN+.

Location

The game will be played at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.

Weather

It looks like a gloomy Decision Day is in store for these two teams on Sunday. Heavy cloud cover seems to be on offer for the entirety of the match, with rain being a threat with a 20-30% chance over the course of the 90 minutes. Temperatures will be at 60 degrees at kickoff before dropping to around 55 by the end of the match. Winds will be around 5 mph, and the humidity will jump from 50-70% as the game progresses. Sunset is scheduled for 5:18 PM, which is shortly after the scheduled kickoff.

Injury report

Tierna Davidson (SEI – knee), Geyse (knee), Esther González (hip), Ella Stevens (knee), and Taryn Torres (SEI – knee) are out for the final game of the regular season.

Players to watch

A player to watch who has been in great form recently is Rose Lavelle. In addition to her four goals and two assists for the club, she also scored twice in two games for the USWNT. She has been one of the key catalysts in Gotham's strong form in the second half of the season and will be key to any future playoff success for the club as well.

Fas should also watch North Carolina's Manaka Matsukubo, who has been on a tear as of late, scoring four goals in her last three games, including a hat-trick last time out against Bay FC. This has seen her jump up to a tie for third in the league Golden Boot race with 10. The 21-year-old has been the main bright spot for the Courage, that has gone through an inconsistent and disappointing 2025 season.

Prediction

Despite North Carolina's need for this win, Gotham's quality and strong away record will show through with a 2-0 win to wrap up the regular season. Goals will come from Lavelle and Jaedyn Shaw, who returns to North Carolina for the first time since being traded back in September.