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After an offseason that saw plenty of change from 2024, NJ/NY Gotham FC will kick off their season away to Seattle Reign FC. The Bats managed to go unbeaten against the Washington side in 2024 with a 1-1 draw at home and a 2-0 win on the road in what was the best regular season in the New Jersey club's history. Gotham, unfortunately, lost on penalties to the Washington Spirit in the playoff semifinals and begin this season looking to reclaim their 2023 crown as champions.
For Seattle, they go into 2025 on the back of their worst season since 2013. The main thing holding them back last year was a prolonged ownership change that prevented them from making many additions in the previous offseason. This, combined with an aging roster, resulted in the team going from being Gotham's opponents in the 2023 Championship game to finishing 13th out of 14 teams in the 2024 standings. Now, with the ownership situation resolved and the addition of some much-needed reinforcements, headlined by former Gotham forward Lynn Biyendolo, formerly Williams, Seattle will look to get back into the playoffs in 2025.
Meanwhile, this is the third time that Gotham FC and Seattle have met in a season opener, with the previous two meetings occurring in 2016 and 2017. The NJ/NY side also enters this year having won their season opener in each of the last four seasons. The Reign only has one win in season opening matches within the same timeframe. The all-time regular-season series between these two clubs is fairly well balanced. In addition to the seven draws, Seattle has the most wins with 12 in 28 all-time meetings, while Gotham only has nine. Of those nine, three have come in the last four matchups, so recent history has favored the Bats.
Of course, the main offseason storyline involving both of these teams is the trade that saw Biyendolo and goalkeeper Cassie Miller go to Seattle in exchange for midfielder Jaelin Howell, $70k in allocation money, and an international roster spot. Expect Biyendolo and Howell to play big roles on their respective new teams from day one, while Miller will battle for the starting spot with incumbent Claudia Dickey. So, here is a preview of the 2025 Gotham FC season opening match.
Gotham FC vs Seattle Reign preview
Date
Gotham FC visit Seattle Reign on Saturday, March 15.
Time
The game is scheduled to kick off at 10:00 PM ET.
How to watch
The match will be broadcast on Ion.
Location
The fixture will be played at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington.
Weather
It looks to be a cold one in Seattle, with a forecasted temperature of 47 degrees at kickoff and 10 mph winds. There is also a growing chance of rain as the match goes on, going from 20% at kickoff to 40% by the end of the game.
Injury Report
Four players will be out for the season opener. Bruninha (red card suspension), Rose Lavelle (ankle), Midge Purce (knee), and Jéssica Silva (eye) are all unavailable.
Players to watch
For Gotham, expect new signing Gabi Portilho to play a big role not just on Saturday, but throughout the course of the season. Portilho was the team's highest-profile acquisition this offseason and should make the starting right-wing position her own pretty quickly. After a stellar 2024 that saw her win an Olympic Silver Medal with Brazil and finish in the top 20 of Ballon d'Or voting, Portilho could be in line for a strong first season in NWSL.
For Seattle, the obvious story is Biyendolo playing against her former team for the first time. Not only will she be expected to have a strong goal-scoring season herself, but she may also take some of the opposition's attention away from Jordyn Huitema and help her finally have her breakout goal-scoring season in NWSL. Biyendolo playing well and staying on the field will be key not only for Seattle to win this game but also to make the playoffs in 2025.
Prediction
While the talent gap between these two teams got closer in the offseason, Gotham FC is still the superior team. A 2-0 win for the Bats seems like a safe bet for this game. Expect goals from Portilho and rookie Sarah Schupansky, who could be in line for a week one start in place of the injured Lavelle.