Gotham Post Game

Gotham FC Post-Match Press Conference Transcripts Gotham FC 0, San Diego Wave FC 1 Sports Illustrated Stadium When: May 16, 2025 Who: Head Coach Juan Carlos Amorós Forward Sarah Schupansky Midfielder Jaelin Howell HEAD COACH JUAN CARLOS AMOROS On the match tonight against San Diego The beginning of the game was really good from us. We controlled it, executed the game plan, and had most of the attacking approaches. Then there was that moment—maybe a bit fortunate with the touch—but it’s a great finish, and suddenly we’re down 1-0. That probably took a hit on us. It’s no secret we haven’t scored a goal in the last couple of games. So even when you're doing well, creating chances, and doing the right things, conceding a goal like that can be tough. From there to halftime, even though they didn’t have any more shots, they were better. We made some adjustments at halftime and came back out strong. We had a good chance with Midge [Purce], but didn’t score. In that period, they were dominating a bit more of the game, and we had to make some subs. We're still managing minutes, but the last 20–25 minutes—when we were allowed to play, because we didn’t play as much as we wanted—the team really showed character and personality. Stella [Nyamekye], Khyah [Harper], Sarah [Schupansky], Taryn [Torres] and Bruninha did a good job when they came on, even if some of them were in positions we hadn’t expected. We pushed for that goal and didn’t get it. Now it’s time to move on. We play a very competitive match this week. We’ve talked internally, and now our focus is on Club América, on the trip, and on recovery. We're going away again, and we want to make sure we come back with that trophy. On the impact of creating early chances without scoring and then conceding on San Diego’s first opportunity Football, as you said—those key moments are important. We got a VAR check, and it wasn’t a penalty. As I always say, it really hurts me, but I don’t talk about referees. They all need to be professional. Today, the performance—I believe he tried to do the best he could. We need to be a little better with certain things, but that’s for them to analyze. I’m trying to be very respectful because that’s who I am. But it’s definitely something in the league I always mention—we need to increase the standards overall and have the best possible referees with the best conditions. I’ll always advocate for that. It’s difficult because frustration can arise from referee decisions, and that can put you on the back foot or in difficult situations. But I’d rather leave it there. In football, key moments come down to details. If you put a chance away—like we’ve done in the past—you change the game. We know that this year, a few times when we scored one goal, we scored another within five minutes. It’s about those moments. Last week we conceded again, and in the last couple of games, we've conceded with very low expected goals—two top-corner finishes. At this point, it’s similar to the start of the year when we didn’t score many goals. Then we went on a run where we were scoring for fun, as they say. Now we’re in a different stretch again. So, we look internally and make sure we are ready to score. On how to keep the team mentally strong and confident during a scoring drought ahead of a big match As coaches, we have a lot of tools, and I have a great coaching team. We take into account the opinions of the players and the leadership group. Every situation and moment requires different strategies, and we’ll work on it together. It will be different from what we’ve done before, but it’s always about the next action—making sure we’re ready for the next training session, the next game plan—because that’s the reality of the game. We lost 1–0, but who knows—maybe in a week we’re talking about how we lifted the first international competition trophy on this continent. That’s where our focus is right now. FORWARD SARAH SCHUPANSKY On playing in the Concacaf W Champions Cup against Club América It’s a really quick turnaround—just four days—but games like the past three only make us want to go into the next two even more aggressive and more excited to win and play our best style of soccer. We want to get back in the win column, whether that’s in the league or in the tournament. I’m really excited. I know the team worked hard to get there, so if there’s anything I can do to help finish the job, I’m going to try my best. How Esther González impacted you as a player this season She’s a phenomenal player, but an even better person. Coming in as kind of a fan of Esther [González], it’s surreal to play next to her and watch her from five feet away instead of on TV. For her to be here for the next couple of years—like Jaelin [Howell] said—that’s huge for the club. But we don’t feel too bad about it either. We’re really excited. MIDFIELDER JAELIN HOWELL On tonight’s match The first 30 minutes, we controlled the game. We showed some good quality—spurts of quality. We had to limit their possession, and honestly, I thought we limited their chances a lot. It just comes down to us showing consistency and putting the ball in the back of the net, which we haven’t been able to do the past three games. We need to start doing that again. We were hot for a little bit, and teams have slumps all the time. Now it’s just about finding a way. Once we get one in the back of the net, they’ll start coming again. On how Esther González has impacted you as a player this season Esther [González] is an amazing player—world-class. As a teammate, she’s super humble and a great presence in the locker room. She teaches us, and as midfielders, we love learning from her. She’s not afraid to help—even though the language barrier can make it a little tricky at times. She’s so fun to learn from, and it’s really cool to play with her. I’ve been a fan of hers for years, so it’s special to share the field with her. It’s a huge win for the club to be able to keep her on the team. FORWARD MIDGE PURCE On what went wrong in tonight's match In the first 25 to 30 minutes, we had a lot of possession and were pretty sharp with it, but it wasn’t the type of possession that makes other teams fearful. We weren’t as dangerous as we could have been in the final third. It’s not just about keeping the ball and being technically good—it’s about creating something that prevents the other team from sitting in a low block and feeling as comfortable as they were when we were in their final third. On the game plan for tonight's match One of the things I love about playing with Esther [González], Ella [Stevens], and Geyse is that they’re so versatile and dynamic. That was more about us trying to unlock something and give a different picture. It’s different playing against me as the nine than it is playing against Geyse as the eleven, and we wanted to see if a different look could provide different opportunities. ## FULL TRANSCRIPTION UNEDITED: FORWARD MIDGE PURCE What do you think wasn’t clicking for the team while you were out there tonight… “I think in the first 25, 30 minutes, we had a lot of possession and we were pretty sharp with it, but I don't think we had the type of possession that makes other teams fearful. We weren't as dangerous as we could have been in the final third. So it's just about not just keeping it and being really good on the ball, but creating something that doesn't allow another team to kind of sit in a low block and be as comfortable as they were when we were in their final third.” How do you take the lessons from tonight's match and apply them to the Champions Cup games… “There's no other way. You look at the game, and I'm sure we'll all watch it tomorrow. It's too soon tonight. It's football, it's not rocket science. We'll see the things that we did wrong, and we'll see the things we did right, and we'll apply what's necessary to the next game.” On the game plan for tonight's match… “I think one of the things I love about playing with Esther [González], Ella [Stevens], and Geyse, is that they're so versatile and they're so dynamic, and I think that was more of us trying to unlock, can give a different picture. It's different playing against me as the nine then it is playing against Geyse as the 11, and trying to see if a different look could provide different things.” What adjustments did San Diego make that allowed them to find their rhythm in the game… “Yeah, they scored. I think we were doing pretty decently until they scored and we definitely need to have a better reaction and probably a better press. We didn't get out of the press quick enough, I don't think when we were in our mid block, low block and allowed them to have too much of the ball. So that's probably it.” On having so many rookies on the team, and what have you seen from them so far… “They're so talented. Everyone has asked me about our rookies and I'm just in awe of them. I'm really happy that we have so many talented ones and we can have confidence in them when they're coming into a game at once and they almost did it for us.” What are your thoughts on Stella Nyamekye's performance so far... “I'm not a coach. I think that’s a little outside of my pay grade. I think all of our rookies are talented and I get excited when any of them get a little cap and a showcase.” HEAD COACH JUAN CARLOS AMORÓS Thoughts on the match tonight against San Diego Coach: Yeah, I think the beginning of the game was really good from us. I think we controlled it. We were executing the game plan. We were having basically all the approaches and obviously that moment where we played a bit, maybe fortunate with the touch, but then it’s a great finish. So we're one-nil down. And I think that probably took a hit on us because it’s not a secret we haven’t scored a goal the last couple of games. So then suddenly you are doing well, you're creating, you're doing the things, and suddenly you concede that goal. So I think from there to halftime, even if they didn’t have any more shots, they were better. We had like a couple of things there at halftime and we came back out. We obviously had a good chance with Midge [Purce], but we didn’t score. And then again, I think they were in that period dominating a little bit more of the game and we had to do some subs. We're still managing some minutes and I think actually the last 20–25 minutes where we were allowed to play, because we definitely didn’t play as much as we wanted. I think the team really showed character and personality. I think Stella [Nyamekye], Khyah [Harper], Sarah [Schupansky], Taryn [Torres], Bruninha, they did a good job when they came on, even if some of them did it probably in positions that we weren’t expecting. We pushed for that goal. We didn’t get it. And now it’s time to move on because we play a very competitive match this week. So we spoke a little bit internally. We focus now on America and on the trip, on the recovery. We’re going away again, and we just want to make sure that we come back with that trophy. What impact did dominating early chances without scoring, only for San Diego to convert on a half-chance have on the team… “I think football, as you said—those key moments are important. I think again, we got a check on the VAR. That wasn’t a penalty then. As I always say, it really hurts me, but I don’t talk about the referees. I think they all need to be professional. I think today, the performance—I think he tried to do the best he could. We need to be a little bit better with maybe certain things, but that’s for them to analyze. I’m trying to be very respectful because that’s how I am. But, you know, it’s definitely something in the league that I always say—we need to try to increase the standards in general and have the best possible referees with the best conditions for themselves. I will always say that. But it’s difficult because sometimes frustration comes up on the decisions that referees make and then that puts you on the back foot or whatever situation. But I would rather just leave it there and—key moments in football—it’s the details. If you put a chance away like we’ve done in other times. We know that this year, a few times when we scored one goal, we’ve scored another one within five minutes. It’s just those moments at the moment. Last week we conceded as well. I think in the last couple of games we’ve conceded with almost a very low expected goals, but we conceded two top-corner finishes. And at this point, it's similar to the start of the year when we didn’t score many goals. Then we came onto that run where we were scoring for fun, as they normally say. Now we’re again on this run. So we look internally and make sure that we are ready to score.” Question: How do you keep a team from getting frustrated or overthinking after not scoring for a while, especially before an important game? Coach: I think that we as coaches have a lot of tools. I have a great coaching team. Getting the opinion of the players, the leadership of the group. I think every situation and moment requires different strategies. And I think that we will work on it together. It will be different from what we’ve done before, but it’s always about the next action and making sure that we are ready for the next training session, for the next game plan because that’s the reality of the game. Obviously, we lost 1–0. Who knows, maybe in a week we’re talking about how we lift the first international competition trophy here in this continent. So that’s where our focus is at the moment. Question: To go back for a moment to something you were talking about just now. The quantity of shots has been there in all three games. The quality of shots has somewhat been there. What’s not there? Coach: Yeah, I think we need to find better connections when it comes to the chance—the quality of the chance creation. I think today, probably we have like—I think in the expected cost I saw—it’s probably double than San Diego, but it was still not high enough. I think we were 0.6, they were 0.3. But that’s not enough for our standards. We want to create better quality chances.I think in there it’s about reading better the pictures and executing them with technical and tactical actions. Also, the chemistry between the players. I think, you know, last week was the first game that Mitch was starting. Now Jay’s. Today we decided to bring Esther a little bit more as that connector. You know, I think we are in that process of adaptation to each other. Question: To that point about dropping Esther back a little, Mitch starting—does it matter whether the chances come up the middle or wide? Coach: No, it doesn’t. I think every coach in the world will tell you that you want to have the best quality chances and score the goals. And you know, sometimes it’s when we create those—it’s also the technical action, final decisions. And I think we’ve got the players that have enough quality to do that. So hopefully, you know, we’re really looking forward to it. Already you were lucky. I know when you lose a game, you always want to play the next game as soon as possible. And we’re playing on Wednesday. So yeah, really looking forward to that. Question: Anne went down a couple times—maybe with her shoulder. Is there any update on her? How is she doing? Coach: Oh, I don’t know yet. Obviously, she did that save in the first half—I think it was a cross, one of those crosses that starts going in—and she made that save. And I think the second half again, she pulled that—I think it was a save or she hit the crossbar. I don’t know if it was one of those. And yeah, I hope she’s good because she’s still doing fantastically well for us. I think the goals that she’s conceding are never her fault, really. So yeah, super happy with her. She’s gotten knocked and I think she’s been tackled way too many times. She was going through some pain in her foot, but now I think it’s getting to the end of that part. Hopefully her shoulder is good. FORWARD SARAH SCHUPANSKY AND MIDFIELDER JAELIN HOWELL Thoughts on tonight's match… Jaelin: “I think the first 30 minutes we controlled the game. We showed some good quality—I thought we showed spurts of quality. We had to limit their possession, but honestly, I thought we limited their chances a lot. It just comes down to us showing consistency and putting the ball in the back of the net, which we haven't been able to do the past three games. We need to start doing that again. Obviously, we were hot for a little bit, and teams have slumps all the time, so now it's just finding a way. I think once we get one in the back of the net, they'll just keep coming again.” Why are opposing teams so physically aggressive with you in the midfield… Jaelin: “I think I'm a physical player, and I think they already have it in their head, so they know they’ve got to go in harder sometimes, maybe. Obviously, we play through the middle, and that's kind of our style, and we try to. So obviously, being on the ball more, you're going to get fouled more. It's just part of it.” What do you think changed after the strong start… Jaelin: “I think it happened after the goal. I think we kind of took a step back, and we needed to keep our foot on the pedal. I thought we had the momentum up until that point—they didn’t have any opportunities up until that point. They had one shot on goal and they scored. I think after that, they gained confidence and got back on the ball. I think that’s the time when we needed to continue doing what we were doing the first 30 minutes to make it difficult for them. I thought we showed some of that in the second half, but again, it just goes back to consistency—making sure we limit their opportunities. Again, I think we did that. I think it's just about putting the ball in the back of the net for us as well.” On seeing them holding possession without progressing forward… Jaelin: “I think they’re a really good possession team. I think part of it is that we needed to get our line up. But also, being in a mid-block, we can kind of let them have the ball. Then from there, we had to be able to get pressure on the ball. I don’t think we had any trouble letting them shift side to side. It was a lot of running for us, but I think we had to pick our opportunities better—when to press the ball and press the back line. That was kind of the main difference. We’re okay with having the ball in front of us, but we have to step our line and press so we’re not running as much.” On what coach said to her before the game… Sarah: “Obviously to do as much as we can to impact the game—to have composure when we get on the ball and just get the ball forward. Coming in that late in the game when we’re down 1–0, our only prerogative is going to be to get the ball forward and try to get as many chances as we can. Unfortunately, we didn’t come away with a tie, and we weren’t able to tie things up. Ultimately, he just told us to do the best we can, try our hardest, and play the soccer we know how to play.” How Esther González impacted you as a player this season… Jaelin: I think Esther [González] is an amazing player—world-class. As a teammate, she’s super humble, a great teammate. She teaches us. I think as midfielders, we love to learn from her, and she’s not afraid to teach us—even though sometimes the language barrier makes it a little tricky. She’s so fun to learn from, and I think it’s so cool to play with her. I’ve been a fan of hers for years, so it’s super cool to be able to play with her on the field. I think it’s a huge thing for the club to be able to keep her on the team.” Sarah: Yeah, I mean, she’s a phenomenal player, but an even better person. Coming in as kind of a fan of Esther, it’s surreal to get to play next to her and watch her from five feet away instead of on the TV. For her to be here for the next couple of years—like Jalen said—that’s huge for the club. But we don’t feel too bad about it either. We’re really excited. On playing in the Concacaf W Champions Cup against Club América… Sarah: Yeah, I mean, it’s a really quick turnaround—four days. But I think games like the past three we’ve had are only going to make us want to go into these next two even more aggressive and even more excited to win and play our best style of soccer. We want to get back in the win column, whether that’s in this league or in a tournament. I’m really excited. I know the team worked really hard to get there, so if there’s anything I can do to help finish the job, I’m going to try my best. On adjusting tactics after the first goal was scored and formation in the second half.. Jaelin: Yeah, I think, like I said, after the first goal, they gained momentum a little bit—and we let them. I thought we had the ball and were controlling the game up until that point. So like I said, one shot on goal, one goal. I think we took a step back when we needed to keep going. We had no doubt we were able to even win that game going into halftime. We were pushing for that—we weren’t just pushing for a tie, we were pushing for a win. But obviously that’s the game. We couldn’t put it in the back of the net. But yeah, I think we pushed numbers higher in the second half. It wasn’t a complete formation change, but definitely more numbers going forward.