Gotham FC vs Racing Louisville preview: A potential playoff-clinching match

After having their 11-game unbeaten run snapped by the runaway Shield-winning Kansas City Current, NJ/NY Gotham FC will return home for the final time in the regular season as they host Racing Louisville FC. The home team can clinch a playoff spot with a win or draw, but they will most certainly be gunning for the win in this one as they have their eyes set on a home quarterfinal playoff match. They currently sit in sixth, but a win will see them leapfrog Seattle Reign FC and San Dig Wave FC into that fourth and final home quarterfinal spot.

While this is said often, this game is probably the biggest match of the season for them. Not only do they want to snap this scoreless streak they are on and jump back into the top four, but Louisville is just two points behind Gotham FC in the table. A loss could potentially see them fall all the way down to eighth, depending on other results around the league this weekend.

In addition to the table implications, this will also be a good test for the Bats. Louisville looks like they will make the playoffs for the first time in club history after four consecutive ninth-place finishes. Gotham's head coach, Juan Carlos Amorós, believes the Louisville coaching staff deserves a lot of credit. "They’ve been very clever in maximizing their tools and getting full commitment from everyone," he said in the pregame press conference.

This will be a really good tune-up game for both teams heading into the playoffs, given the quality that they possess. Louisville won when the teams met back in May in Louisville, but this is a very different Gotham team from that one. So, here is a preview of the final home match of the regular season.

Gotham FC vs Racing Louisville preview

Date

The game will be played on Sunday, October 19.

Time

The match is scheduled to begin at 3:00 PM ET.

How to watch

The fixture will be streamed on NWSL+ and Paramount+, and on TV on MSG in the New York/New Jersey area.

Location

The game will be played at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey.

Weather

Temperatures will be abnormally warm for this time of year. Kickoff will be around 74 degrees, with it only dropping to 72 by the end of the match. Humidity will be around 55-60% with pretty consistent cloud cover expected throughout the 90 minutes. Wind speeds will hover around 15 mph with gusts potentially reaching 25 mph. There is a 0% chance of rain.

Injury report

Ann-Katrin Berger (knee), Tierna Davidson (SEI – knee), Geyse (knee), Esther González (hip), Ella Stevens (knee), and Taryn Torres (SEI – knee) are all unavailable. Mak Whitham is away on international duty with the USWNT U-17 side.

Players to watch

One of the few players who had a good game for Gotham in their last meeting with Louisville is former Racing captain Jaelin Howell, making her someone to watch. Since being acquired in the offseason, the midfielder's performances have gone up a level. After Taylor Flint, Howell has arguably been the league's second-best defensive midfielder this year and is a huge key in this team's recent success. A big reason for this turnaround is her ability to stay healthy this season. She'll match her career high in games played if she sees the field on Sunday.

For Louisville, while Emma Sears and Flint have garnered many of the headlines, goalkeeper Jordyn Bloomer has also been a huge reason for the team's success. After starting keeper Katie Lund was injured in training after just six games, many Racing fans were worried that Bloomer, who had never played an NWSL game, would not be at the level necessary to sustain a playoff push. She has proven everyone wrong, though, keeping four clean sheets and being the fourth-highest-rated keeper this season per FotMob. Bloomer could be the key to Louisville coming away with at least a point on Sunday.

Prediction

The Bats will get back into both the goal and win column and come away with a 2-0 victory. Goals will come from Rose Lavelle and Jaedyn Shaw, and Gotham FC will end the weekend in fourth place. Plus, the NJ/NY side will be in an excellent position to host a quarterfinal playoff matchup heading into their final regular-season game away to the North Carolina Courage.