Gotham FC vs Kansas City Current preview: Battle for playoff seeding

The start of another three-game week starts at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City as NJ/NY Gotham FC will visit the Kansas City Current. This will be Gotham's second visit to the Current's new home as they visited earlier in the year for the NWSL x Liga MX Summer Cup semifinal where they defeated Angel City FC 1-0. While the atmosphere was not anywhere near the loud and hostile environment expected on Saturday, being the only team to have experience playing in the stadium before their first match certainly cannot hurt.

For Gotham FC, this is the beginning of another busy week. After their visit to Kansas City, they will fly down to Jamaica to take on Jamaican champions Frazsiers Whip FC before flying back home to welcome Bay FC to Red Bull Arena. The NJ/NY side has done well in these situations this season, going 11-2-2 in fixtures that fall in three-game weeks. This would also be a good opportunity for Gotham to build some breathing room behind them too. The Current sit one point behind the Bats for third place. A win here would not only extend that gap to four points, but it would make them just the second team to beat the Current in Kansas City this season alongside the runaway league leaders Orlando Pride.

For Kansas City, this is the opportunity to make two statement wins in a row. After a slow return to NWSL play following the Olympic break with one win in four games, the Current defeated the second-place Washington Spirit 3-0. A win against Gotham would not only do wonders for rebuilding their confidence, but it could also see them fault up from fourth to second in the table where they had been for most of the season before their recent rough patch. And given their remaining schedule is not overly difficult, they could stay there for the rest of the season.

There is a lot on the line for both teams for a regular season game. They can lock up a home quarterfinal playoff game with a win and other results in the league going their way. Plus, this will be a really good litmus test for both sides with the playoffs not too far off in the future. Here is a preview of Saturday's matchup between Gotham FC and the KC Current.

Date

Gotham FC will take on the Kansas City Current on Saturday, September 28.

Time

The match is scheduled to begin at 12:00 PM CT, 1:00 PM ET.

How to watch

The game will be broadcast on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.

Location

The fixture will be played at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

Weather

Weather conditions look perfect for this time of year with 76 degrees forecasted for kickoff with the temperature rising to 80 by the end of the game. Humidity should hover around 40-45% with a 0% chance of rain forecasted throughout the match. The wind could be a challenge, especially given the stadium sits right next to the Missouri River, with wind speeds expected in the low teens with gusts reaching the low 20s.

Injury Report

Midge Purce (knee), Kelley O'Hara (knee), and Abby Smith (lower leg) continue to be out and on the season-ending injury list. The rest of the list will be updated once it is released.

Players to watch

After making her first NWSL start in almost four months, expect Lynn Williams to carry on from her strong performance last week in which she picked up her 30th career NWSL assist, tied for third-most all time. Very typically how Williams goes is how Gotham goes so her being in good form leading into the playoffs should be a good thing for the team's chances to repeat.

For Kansas City, the obvious answer is Temwa Chawinga. The 26-year-old from Malawi is in her first NWSL season and looks like the favorite to win both the Golden Boot and league MVP. She has 16 goals and six assists in 21 NWSL games with 11 goals and two assists in her last 10 games. If Gotham wants to win this battle, then they need to do everything they can to keep Chawinga quiet.

Prediction

1-1 seems to be a likely outcome for this game. Both teams have more than enough quality to win, but there's a very good chance for both of them to cancel each other out. Expect goals from both of the stars mentioned above, Chawinga and Williams. Despite this scoreline, this should be one of the more entertaining Gotham FC games this season.