Gotham 0-0 Utah

Recap: Gotham FC Left Frustrated in Scoreless Draw with Utah

Gotham FC left Sports Illustrated Stadium on Saturday frustrated by a 0-0 draw against the Utah Royals, earning a point that nudged the hosts back into playoff position but feeling dissatisfied that none of its 18 shots broke through over 90 minutes.

Utah Royals goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn, who helped Gotham win the 2023 NWSL championship, made seven saves to keep the visitors in the match, while Gotham posted its seventh shutout of the campaign, good for second-best in the league.

“We need to play better than what we did in that first half,” said Gotham FC coach Juan Carlos Amorós. “The second half shows who we are, but you cannot play only half of the games at your best apart from scoring. At the end, very good job – again, we created enough chances to win the game in the second half, but we didn't. We need to look at that part of the finishing, and then we need to look at the first half in general because I think we are better than that performance. We've played three games in six days – it's demanding – but we are better than that first half.”

Gotham FC (5-6-6, 21 points) retained eighth place with help from results elsewhere, but the draw extended its winless stretch since NWSL play restarted after the league’s mandatory July break. Amorós’s team quadrupled Utah’s entries into the opposition box (44-11), won 11 corners and put seven shots on target. The Eureka moment just never came.

“We’re a little disappointed – we didn’t come out strong in the first half, although we picked it up in the second,” Gotham FC midfielder Rose Lavelle told ION in a postgame interview. “We know we need to clean some things up and be more clinical in the final third. Overall, we just have to be better, and we know that.”

Up next, Gotham FC returns to the road for the first time since early August, visiting reigning NWSL champion Orlando Pride on Aug. 29 at Inter&Co Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET, with coverage on Prime Video.

Key Match Points

• Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger tied the club career shutout record with her 14th in her 38th game, joining Brittany Cameron (45 games played for GFC) and Kailen Sheridan (80 games played for GFC),
• Gotham FC held Utah without a shot on target in the first half, marking the second straight match the club has done so. 
  
  • It was also the third time in four matches Gotham has accomplished the feat.
• In total, Gotham allowed just one shot in the entire match.
• Midfielder Jaelin Howell won the ball 11 times, the most for either team
• Defender Jess Carter had a game-high five interceptions.

Gotham FC vs Utah Royals FC

Saturday, August 23, 2025

7:30 p.m. ET kickoff

Sports Illustrated Stadium, Harrison, New Jersey

Attendance: 4,446

Weather: 75 degrees, sunny

Gotham FC (0, 0 – 0)

Utah Royals FC (0, 0 – 0)

Gotham FC (4-3-3): 30 – Ann-Katrin Berger (GK); 22 – Mandy Freeman (C) (77’ 3 – Bruninha), 6 – Emily Sonnett, 27 – Jess Carter, 4 – Lilly Reale; 7 – Jaelin Howell, 11 – Sarah Schupansky (77’ 8 – Taryn Torres), 16 – Rose Lavelle (77’ 21 – Sofia Cook); 18 – Gabi Portilho (86’ 34 — Khyah Harper), 9 – Esther González, 28 – Katie Stengel (55’ 10 – Geyse)

Unused substitutes: 1 – Shelby Hogan (GK); 5 — Josefine Hasbo, 14 – Nealy Martin, 19 – Kayla Duran

Head coach: Juan Carlos Amorós 

Utah Royals FC (4-2-3-1): 1 – Mandy McGlynn (GK); 28 – Imani Dorsey, 8 – Kate Del Fava, 18 – Kaleigh Riehl, 14 – Nuria Rábano; 33 – Aria Nagai (59’ 22 – Dana Foederer), 10 – Caludia Zornoza (83’ 17 – Ana Tejada); 13 – Brecken Mozingo (59’ 24 – Cloé Lacasse), 11 – Mina Tanaka, 4 – Paige Monaghan (C) (76’ 53 – Bianca St-Georges); 30 – Aisha Solorzano (59’ 7 – Janni Thomsen)

Unused substitutes: 23 – Mia Justus (GK); 5 – Lauren Flynn, 16 – Madison Pogarch, 19 – KK Ream

Head coach: Jimmy Coenraets

Stats Summary

GFC / UTA

Expected Goals: 1.14 / 0.38

Shots: 18 / 5

Shots on Goal: 7 / 1

Saves: 1 / 7

Corners: 11 / 2

Fouls: 13 / 14

Offside: 3 / 4

Misconduct Summary:

Gotham FC

90+4’ – Juan Carlos Amorós (Yellow Card - Dissent)

Utah Royals FC

61’ - 24 – Cloé Lacasse (Yellow Card - Reckless Offense)

79’ - 14 - Nuria Rábano (Yellow Card - Reckless Offense)

90+1’ - 8 - Kate Del Fava (Yellow Card - Tactical Foul)

Officials

Referee: Gerald Flores

Assistant Referee 1: Matthew Rodman

Assistant Referee 2: Nicholas Seymour

4th Official: Gary Gutierrez

VAR: Laura Rodriguez

AVAR: Tom Felice

Key Quotes

HEAD COACH JUAN CARLOS AMORÓS

On whether finishing is the missing piece to Gotham’s success right now

We only allowed one shot on target, so defensively the team is doing well, though there are still things to polish. Their best chance came from an unnecessary free kick, and we need to avoid those situations.

When we talk about finishing, it’s not just about the final shot—it’s also about chance creation. We need to improve our decision-making in the final third: is that the best moment to shoot, or is there a better option? Those are the details we need to refine and execute on to take the next step.

MIDFIELDER JAELIN HOWELL

Thoughts on tonight’s match

We talked as a team and knew the first half wasn’t good enough. The game was too transitional, and we weren’t playing the way we know how to play. The intensity was there, but the quality wasn’t.

In the second half, we played good soccer and created more chances, but it came a little too late. We have to put together a full 90 minutes and put the ball on frame. Clean sheets are important, but we need three points.

The second half was really good—but it has to be the full 90.

MIDFIELDER TARYN TORRES

On balancing the load of the Concacaf W Champions Cup matches with league play and how it may affect performance

We want to be in this tournament—that’s a positive. And that’s why we’ve built a deep roster. We have the players to handle playing midweek and then turning around for league matches on the weekend. Everyone has stepped up when called upon, and that’s been really important.

Of course, it’s difficult with the extra travel and the increased load, but this is where we want to be. We want to showcase Gotham on the world stage, and balancing both competitions is part of that challenge.

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ABOUT GOTHAM FC

Representing New Jersey and New York with top global talent, Gotham FC is one of 14 clubs in the National Women’s Soccer League. The club won its first NWSL Championship in 2023, after previously reaching the final of the 2021 NWSL Challenge Cup. In 2025, Gotham FC captured international glory by winning the inaugural 2024–25 Concacaf W Champions Cup, earning qualification for the first editions of the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup and the FIFA Women’s Club World Cup.

Rebranded as Gotham FC in 2021, the club plays its home matches at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J. Originally founded in 2007, the team won the inaugural Women’s Professional Soccer Championship in 2009 and has been a founding member of the NWSL since the league’s launch in 2013.