Photo courtesy of Gotham FC
After scraping by the Seattle Reign without even registering a shot on goal, Gotham FC looks toward a semifinal matchup against the Kansas City Current. The reigning champions and the current holders of the Shield welcome the 2025 Shield winners to Icahn Stadium in Manhattan for an interesting matchup en route to the championship game.
After Sports Illustrated’s field proved unsuitable for a game of this magnitude, the match was moved to a sold-out five-thousand-seat Icahn Stadium.
“Our fans have helped build Gotham into the club it is today,” said Gotham FC Governor Carolyn Tisch Blodgett. “They’ve cheered for us in the rain, celebrated trophies on every coast and lifted us up through injuries and setbacks. At every stage, through every milestone, they’ve made our ambitions their own and given our team another reason to keep pushing. We know how much being there for this semifinal matters, and how disappointing it is that we can’t accommodate everyone who wants to join us. From complimentary transportation to watch parties across New York and New Jersey, we want to do everything we can to show up for our fans the way they’ve always shown up for us.”
Fans can expect a compelling game between two talented teams with very different footballing philosophies.
Gotham are defensive juggernauts; they have the best defense in the league, and they lean on it in big games. Against Seattle, Gotham scored early through an own goal and let their defense do the rest to secure a spot in the semis.
Kansas City are direct opposites; they got past Angel City due to a penalty in the 96th minute that secured a 1-0 victory. But the scoreline does not tell the full story: the Current peppered Angel City’s defense with 21 shots, seven being on target, creating an expected goals (xG) of 2.36.
The stars will play a major role in this tie. Gotham standouts Rose Lavelle and Jaedyn Shaw recently returned to the fray after they suffered injuries throughout the season. Shaw featured for the full 90 in the quarterfinals, while Lavelle came off at half-time. Gotham will need their offensive prowess alongside other esteemed attackers against KC to keep up with their league-best attack.
The Current have a dynamic attack that features league assist leader Croix Bethune and two players who scored 12 goals this season, Temwa Chawinga and Haley Hopkins. This Kansas City attack has been potent all year, scoring 54 goals in the regular season, but they will have their work cut out for them going against the best defense in the league.
During the two matchups in the regular season, Gotham came out on top both times, winning 2-0 and 2-1, respectively. Despite the Current’s prolific offense, their defense can be exposed at times, and that will be the key for Gotham on Sunday.
If Gotham hopes to repeat as champions, they must hold Kansas City’s impressive attack under control for the third time this season while also waking up their own dormant offense to ensure a trip to the finals against either the Washington Spirit or Utah Royals FC.
