Recapping and reflecting on recent October happenings at Gotham FC

Even with the international break in full swing, there is still plenty happening in and around NJ/NY Gotham FC. While they do have over 10 players in action for their respective national teams, storylines surrounding the club continue to develop. From injuries, new signings, changes to the lineup, and players hitting form at the right time, there is still plenty to talk about even though it has been almost 10 days since their last match.

That is why it is important to take a step back and reflect on all of the news stories that can impact Gotham FC for the rest of the season.

Gotham FC's injuries, injuries, and more injuries

While injuries have been a major storyline for a number of years now, the injury bug is hitting hard as of late. From Jordynn Dudley being placed on SEI with a foot fracture, Bruninha tearing her ACL on international duty with Brazil, to Jaedyn Shaw pulling out of the U-23 USWNT camp with a minor injury, it has been a tough few weeks for Gotham FC on the injury front.

Thankfully, Shaw's injury does not seem serious, and she might not even miss a game, but injuries to both Bruninha and Dudley are devastating. They put an end to a great rookie season for Dudley and will probably rule Bruninha out of her home World Cup next summer. It is still not clear how they will replace these players, but new signings will surely play a role.

Deadline day acquisitions

The NWSL roster freeze came and went on October 8th, with Gotham making two new acquisitions prior to the deadline. First, after mutually terminating her contract with Chicago Stars FC in the morning, Gotham announced the signing of Spanish left-back Leila Ouahabi during halftime of their game against Angel City FC.

Ouahabi provides much-needed defensive depth, mainly at left-back, but given the recent injury news, she may be asked to make some appearances at right-back as well. She is signed through the 2028 season.

Then, last week, Gotham announced that the club acquired forward Olivia Wingate from the North Carolina Courage via a free transfer for the rest of 2026. This move was most likely made with knowledge of the injury to Dudley, even though she was placed on the SEI list days later.

Wingate missed all of 2025 with an injury and has so far only played five minutes in 2026. Luckily, she has had this international window to get up to speed not only on match fitness but also on the Gotham system ahead of a potentially larger-than-expected role.

Gotham's veteran players rounding into form

A positive development in recent weeks is that veteran players like Rose Lavelle and midseason acquisitions Sam Kerr and Denise O'Sullivan are starting to play at their best heading into the playoffs. After a somewhat disappointing season from a goal-contribution perspective, Lavelle now has assists in three straight matches in what is the healthiest season of her career.

After a rocky start that also saw her miss a month due to injury, O'Sullivan is starting to look like the type of player Courage fans know her as after her many years in North Carolina. She has started and played all but nine minutes in the past three games, and has fit like a glove next to Jaelin Howell in midfield. She offers a different look to her predecessor in that position, Savannah McCaskill, providing better passing numbers and winning more duels.

Then, with Kerr, she has somehow already racked up the ninth-most xG in NWSL this season at 9.6 despite only playing 1078 minutes. The frustrating thing is that she has only managed four goals from that high xG total, but the signs are promising that the goals should start to come at a more regular rate as the season goes on. Add to that, she has played the provider role pretty well since coming over, registering four assists on 2.1 xA, meaning that those haven't really been much of a fluke either.

The Shield is within reach

With three games to go, Gotham could look up their first NWSL Shield in club history as early as this weekend. A win on the road over the Washington Spirit on Saturday, combined with a loss by San Diego Wave FC later that day on the road against the North Carolina Courage, would see the Bats clinch the Shield with two games to play.

This would mean that Gotham FC would become the first team in the NWSL to have won an NWSL Championship, Shield, Challenge Cup, and CONCACAF W Champions Cup, all within a four-year span.

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