Match Forecast: Seattle Reign FC Takes on NJ/NY Gotham FC at 10:00 a.m.

Seattle Reign FC are set to take on NJ/NY Gotham FC on the road at Red Bull Area in Harrison, New Jersey, kicking off at 10:00 a.m. The weather in New Jersey is expected to be harsh, reaching high temperatures all throughout the day. The Reign and Gotham are meeting for the first time since the 2023 NWSL Championship in San Diego. 

WHEN AND WHERE: Reign FC kickoff is at 10:00 a.m. PT at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, NJ. 

WHERE TO WATCH: Fans can tune in on ESPN 2, ESPN+ or ESPN Deportes to catch the action. Local watch parties are taking place at Rough & Tumble Pub in Ballard, Doyle’s Pub in Tacoma and more! 

2024 NWSL REGULAR SEASON RECORDS AND STANDINGS (W-L-D): Seattle Reign FC: 2-9-3 (13th place), NJ/NY Gotham FC: 8-3-3 (4th place) 

Key Points Ahead of the Match: 

1. LAST MEETING – The clubs most recently met in the 2023 NWSL Championship, where the Reign fell 2-1. This meeting marks the 29th all-time meeting between the two clubs across all NWSL competitions. Currently, Seattle leads the series with 12 wins. Gotham has claimed nine wins and the score has ended level on seven occasions. Seattle also leads the head-to-head series with 42 all-time goals scored, compared to Gotham’s 37. The last two meetings between the Reign and Gotham at Red bull Arena saw the Reign come out on top, with a 2-0 win in April 2023 and a 1-0 win in September 2022. 

“I think, obviously, everybody knows that they're full of threats in every position. I think it's always more interesting when you play people more often and obviously we haven't played them yet, so it's harder to prepare for a game that you don't really know who's healthy on their team or what players have been doing well because they have had a lot of injuries, but I think they're on a good path right now,” said Seattle Reign FC goalkeeper Claudia Dickey. 

“I think just preparing ourselves for that and honestly working towards what we need to focus on and then applying that for what we know from them or what film we've watched from them. It's hard to prepare for teams that you don't play very often. Obviously, we've played the West Coast teams a lot more, especially last year, so we're used to it. But yeah, they've added a bunch of new talent - obviously they have Rose and Sonnett now, so it's just what we're trying to do defensively and attack - how we're trying to figure that out is obviously different than usual.” 

2. SCOUTING GOTHAM – Gotham are currently in fourth place in the NWSL standings, with 27 points from 14 games played. Gotham FC most recently suffered a 2-0 home defeat to Washington on Sunday, the team’s first home loss in the 2024 regular season. The loss ended the club’s nine game unbeaten streak, which was the second-longest streak in club history. 

Gotham had chances of their own but conceded the lead the to the Spirit in the 26th minute of the match. Before half time, Gotham went down to 10 players on the field after receiving a red card. The Spirit quickly doubled the lead after the half and earned all three points from the match up. 

Gotham FC currently has seven players out for the match – Svava Gudmunsdottir (excused absence), Sinead Farrelly (SEI – concussion), Esther González (foot), Kelley O’Hara (knee), Midge Purce (SEI – knee), Yazmeen Ryan (suspension) and Abby Smith (SEI - lower leg). 

3. BE SOLID – The Reign are focused being solid all around the field to pick up crucial points this week as the CBA break looms. In particular, the team will look to put on a quality defensive performance and prevent Gotham from finding success in the attacking third of the field. 

"I think it has to be that defensive solidity. It has to be a big part of who we are. I think we have to make sure that we make it as hard as possible for teams to score on us. Yes, do we want to create chances and score more goals? Of course, but I think we've learned the hard way that if you don't do the solid defensive, be-hard-to-beat mentality first and foremost, that this league is unrelenting and then you're going to get into games when you're having to score five or six to win games and we're just never going to be that team. So, I think we have to make sure that defensive solidities are our number one priority, said Seattle Reign FC head coach Laura Harvey. 

“I think we have to just take every game as it comes and our focus every game is we want to win. So, would getting three points [today] be huge in trying to change the narrative of what our seasons look like so far? Yes. Would then another three points - I just see it as these singular opportunities, really, rather than a, thinking about it in regards to the bigger picture because I think that the bigger picture means absolutely nothing if you just don't take care of the points that are in front of you and unfortunately, last week we let two of those [points] slip. So, I think we just have to make sure we take care of trying to get a result tomorrow and then we do the same thing next week against Utah,” said Harvey. 

MultiCare Availability Report: 

OUT  

Lauren Barnes (leg) 

Ryanne Brown (leg) 

QUESTIONABLE 

None