Gotham FC survives Seattle Reign, rough field conditions to reach NWSL semis

HARRISON, N.J. — Gotham FC pulled through with a gritty 1-0 win over the Seattle Reign on Sunday, punching its ticket to host an NWSL semifinal for the first time in club history.Gotham’s victory came despite field conditions players described as “atrocious” and followed an uncharacteristic performance by the No. 1 seed, which was pushed to the limit by a testy Seattle side that nearly equalized in the game’s final moments.The Shield winners held on to an early lead, which came in the fourth minute off a Seattle own goal. In a clumsy attempt to clear the ball after a Gotham corner kick, Seattle defender Jordyn Bugg got an awkward touch on the ball, which ricocheted straight into the back of the net.It was an unfortunate moment for Seattle. The own goal ended their hopes of a postseason run following two halves in which Gotham failed to notch a single shot on target.“We know today wasn’t our best performance, but sometimes that’s just the way playoffs are,” Gotham defender Mandy Freeman said. “It’s about gritting it out and being the team that wins at the end of the day, which is something that we pride ourselves on — no matter the elements, putting in a winning performance. So, it’s only up from here, and we’re gonna go into training this week and fix what can be fixed and improve on what we need to do.”Gotham will move on to host No. 4 Kansas City next Sunday, thanks to the Washington Spirit’s 4-1 win over the Portland Thorns in Washington, D.C.Gotham’s win was largely overshadowed by the pitch conditions at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Sunday. The quarterfinal match followed New York Red Bull’s final match of the regular MLS season against Atlanta United the night before. The pitch was also a concern the week prior, when Gotham hosted the Utah Royals on Decision Day one day after a rugby doubleheader. Gotham was fined $10,000 over the conditions of the field, according to a club spokesperson who spoke under condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.“I feel the obligation to almost apologize for the state of the pitch,” Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amoros said Sunday. “I think at this level, in this kind of game, as a league, and we should be having a better surface. … Our club … did absolutely everything in their power to make sure that that was the case. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. But luckily, it looks like nobody got hurt, and the game was what it was. Obviously, it was not the best football match that you will ever see. That’s for sure. It’s not the best football match that we ever played. That’s for sure. But we found a way to win.”Gotham and Seattle are two of the league’s best defensive teams, so the game was expected to feel more like a chess match. The win essentially came down to the team that made the first wrong move, which ended up being No. 5 Seattle.Gotham midfielder Jaedyn Shaw, whose corner kick preceded Seattle’s own goal, described her plant foot as “slipping a little bit” when she was preparing to take the corner, making it difficult to place the ball where she wanted. That might have ended up working in Gotham’s favor.“We want to put pressure on teams, and that’s ultimately what gets us goals. Even last year, with the free kick in the semifinal, it’s just putting pressure on teams and making people make mistakes,” Shaw said. “Obviously, it’s unfortunate for Jordyn (Bugg). She’s had an amazing season and she’s just a great young player. It’s unfortunate to go out that way. But for us, as a team, we do take pride in putting pressure on teams and making things difficult for them and causing mistakes.”With a backline anchored by goalkeeper Ann Katrin-Berger, Gotham had the league’s best defense in the regular season, allowing just 0.77 goals per match (23 in 30 games). That was the fourth-lowest average in league history.Seattle put up a tough performance, with its chances and counter press growing improving as the final whistle neared.“Today we lost, but we performed so well,” retiring Seattle captain Jess Fishlock said. “For this group of players to come against a team like that, at home, on this field, which is atrocious — to put on a performance like that, it’s gonna suck to f—ing lose, but they can take so much from it. So, I’m just proud of this group.”Seattle was already facing an uphill battle with Gotham welcoming back Rose Lavelle and Shaw into the starting lineup. The two players were listed as questionable in NWSL availability reports the day prior. Lavelle exited the match in the 48th minute for defender Leila Ouhabi.Central defensive midfielder Jaelin Howell also managed to play 65 minutes after exiting last week’s match early with a right ankle injury. Her availability was a big question, having only returned to full training on Saturday. Ahead of kickoff, Howell was out on the pitch readying for the match on her own before any other player.It was “a little scary last week,” Howell said. “But, luckily, our medical team is super good. We worked super hard through the week to be able to get it in a decent spot — a lot of prayers and duct tape, and it was good. It’ll get better every day, and just super thankful and blessed that I had the support around me to get back out there today.”The defending champions have ample experience managing player availabilities this deep in the postseason. The team started its season in January and has regularly been one of the NWSL clubs to play the most soccer since Amoros took over as head coach in 2023. Now, it will play in its fourth consecutive semifinal as it pushes to defend its 2025 championship. The next challenge will be a strong, in-form Kansas City Current squad led by one of the best attackers in the league, Temwa Chawinga.“Sometimes, with the ups and downs you have, and through playoffs, you just got to win and you got to grit it through,” Howell said. “That’s what our team is good at, and putting our body on the line and doing it for each other. … (We’ve) got to definitely tweak some things tactically and be cleaner on the ball and create more opportunities. But you can never deny the grit and the hard work that this team has to get a W.”This article originally appeared in The Athletic.Seattle Reign, Gotham FC, NWSL, Women's Soccer2026 The Athletic Media Company