Gotham FC draws 1-1 with the Kansas City Current

Mirroring the reverse match back in April, NJ/NY Gotham FC played to a 1-1 draw with the Kansas City Current. The result saw Gotham retain their third-place position, one point above the Current. They did lose two points to the Washington Spirit in second place after their victory on Friday night against Angel City FC.

This result extends Gotham FC's unbeaten run to four matches in NWSL play and six in all competitions. In this run of six games, they have outscored their opponents by a score of 10-2. This result also means they will have to wait another week before being able to clinch a home quarterfinal match in the playoffs. They currently sit 12 points ahead of fifth-place North Carolina Courage and pretty much any combination of a Gotham win and a Courage loss during next week's slate of games will see the Bats clinch the first home playoff game in team history.

For Kansas City, this extends their unbeaten run to four matches after losing their first two out of the Olympic break. This result also, albeit briefly, gives the Current the best home record in the league. They are currently 8-3-1 in 12 home matches, good enough for 27 points.

Despite the 1-1 scoreline, this was a thoroughly entertaining watch. Both teams had their chances and the German goalkeepers, Ann-Katrin Berger of Gotham and Almuth Schult of Kansas City, did what they could to keep their respective teams in contention for a potential victory that unfortunately did not come for either side.

Gotham FC and Kansas City shared the points

Gotham FC started this game in fine form, controlling most of the run of play for the vast majority of the first half, and crucially, limiting the flow of passes to NWSL Golden Boot leader Temwa Chawinga. This control of the game would result in the game's opening goal in somewhat bizarre circumstances.

In the 23rd minute, a 50/50 ball bounced towards referee Ekaterina Koroleva who tried to back out of the way of the ball. In doing so she collided with Current forward Michelle Cooper, allowing the ball to fall to Gotham midfielder Rose Lavelle.

Just about all of the home team's players stopped moving to protest and called for play to be stopped. Meanwhile, the Bats recycled the ball which eventually found its way to a wide-open Yazmeen Ryan on the right-hand side of the field. The winger then cut in-field and ran towards the byline before sending in a cross that deflected off of Current defender Alana Cook into the back of the net to give Gotham the 1-0 lead.

This is a definite gray area within the rules of the game. Normally when the ball hits the referee resulting in a change of possession, the play is blown dead and a drop ball is called, resulting in the original team keeping possession. That rule should theoretically carry over to the referee making contact with a player. However, Kansas City did not have possession of the ball when one of their players was interfered with, it is up to the referee's discretion as to whether or not they blow the whistle.

Either way that does not excuse nearly the entire Current team from stopping what they were doing to protest the decision which eventually led to the ball ending up in the back of their net.

The NJ/NY side took the lead into halftime but quickly lost it seven minutes into the second half. It was none other than Temwa Chawinga who scored the equalizer for Kansas City.

Off of a Gotham FC corner kick, the ball was cleared out to Chawinga near midfield who then managed to find herself 1v1 against Berger after a defensive lapse from Gotham who did not have enough players back defensively. The forward then rounded the keeper and slotted the ball home for her 12th goal in her last 11 games and her league-leading 17th of the season. While there are still a few other contenders, nobody should be surprised if Chawinga walks away with the MVP this year.

Even though each team had their chances throughout the rest of the match, ultimately 1-1 stood up as the final result. While Current fans will be understandably unhappy about the circumstances surrounding Gotham's goal, a 1-1 draw feels like the fair result.

Meanwhile, the games do not slow down for Gotham FC. They will soon travel down to Jamaica for their third CONCACAF W Champions Cup match on Wednesday against Jamaican Champions Frazsiers Whip FC. The Bats will be looking to bounce back and get a big win after their disappointing 0-0 draw at home to C.F. Monterrey Femenil. Frazsiers Whip might be the weakest team in the competition, so a big win on Wednesday looks likely.

And lastly, despite this being the second time Gotham FC and the Current played in the NWSL season, there is a third meeting on the horizon. The two sides will meet once again in the final of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup on Friday, October 25. The match will be played at a neutral site in San Antonio, Texas, and will be during an international break where both teams will most likely be missing some of their key players.