Old guard and new facing each other at a neutral site for the Summer Cup, yes, it is fall. KC just announced they resigned the daughter of an ex Cosmos player, Vanessa Dibonardo, her uncle played for my last team. Jen Lalor of Gotham played in the first pro women’s league locally with the NY Power, so a bit of US Soccer history on display today. Speaking of history, let’s see how long until they reveal Jill Loyden, one of the talking heads played for Sky Blue as a GK, in the final of last year they never did ID commentator Carli Lloyd as an owner of the same team. JP Dellacamera, his MASL has its combine very soon and he has been calling games for it must be half a century as he was well established when I began in the game in 1982.
Zerboni leads the team out of the tunnel, first commercial has from my hometown of Syosset another part owner of Gotham, Sue Bird in a CarMax spot. As was the case against Orlando there are Brasileras on both teams, Debhina and Brunhina. First look on goal is KC at a minute by Cooper, her headed ball well over the bar. Miller off her line facing her past team and grabs a ball out of the air. Debhina open but Sheehan, a player of the week intercepts the pass. Dibo plays one into the 6, Miller takes it out of the air. Debinha seeks Cooper, her lead pass stolen. Torres taken down Martin holds and play on is called out. Over the top, but too long for Esther. KC tries to steal a throw in, Brunhina defends like a basketball player, causes an uproar from the KC bench. The ref awards the throw to Gotham. Brunhina pulls down the NWSL leader in goals at half field, Freeman heads it back but the speedy Chawinga turns an easy pass into an adventure as she closes the gap. The press by Gotham is forcing many first time passes by KC, most are working out.
Stevens seeks out Flores from the top of the area but the player in red got to it. Stevens gets a verbal warning for a hard foul, no card issued. Debhina stuffed but it is recovered by her team. Great
ball movement by Gotham as they get the ball forward, the ball in is cleared out. Freeman has been down for a bit, her neck is getting a lot of attention, never a good sign she is up now and has to sit out for a bit due to the delay. Shim gets her name called for the first time as she takes the corner to the near post a defensive effort puts it over the end line and she goes again. She is one of the players signed as National Team Replacement players. A very long ball from the GK Shulte has Debhina in the area and Sheehan saves the day. Debhina then hits a rocket off the defender for a deep throw in for KC. A quick shot of Vlatko who played pro in KC, now back on the pro bench. Sheehan goes end line but her effort into the 6 picked off by the GK. Broken play sees Chawinga 1 v up by one. Miller was off her line, and stayed off it as the player came to cut the angle but the speed of Chawinga killed there, finished with her surgical shot. Chawinga fouled hard a yellow issued as she was set to be off to the races, Brunhina takes her down by the shoulder at just under the half hour mark. Flores has her first touch betray her and gets taken down, the ball goes out for a Gotham throw. Miller way too far forward maybe ten yards below the center circle, it is shot at her, she knocks it down Miller gathers it and Debhina goes just a bit wide giving up a pair in minutes at the half hour may have been too big of a hole to dig out of for Gotham. That was not a case of sweeper/keeper but roamin goalie. Shim makes a run to gather the ball, it gets to Sheehan near the top of the area, she had what would have been their first shot. Torres now to take the corner. Whistled down but still sent in as a Gotham player goes down, she is up fast. To the near side of the 6, cleared sent in again by the defending champions. The back line have been having a kick about. Torres picks out Sheehan who has her hurried pass deflected, yet gathered in by Zerboni. Torres does not go back to the ball and it is tackled away. At 36’, Chawinga has a brace. She tucks away the lead ball off a first touch pass and simllarly beats the GK high on her first touch. Debhina, reminiscent of Beckenbauer sends a ball in with the outside of her foot. Stevens and Sheehan a lot of back and forth near the KC goal but nothing develops. Shim pulls it back, lays it back, then played over the end line for a goal kick. Stevens put down and caution to Cooper as they are just between the 18 and bottom of the circle as Stevens goes down. Shim suffered the foul at 43’. Freeman passes it to the left then into the area cleared out and recovered by Martin. Over the top to Stevens, taken down with the foot work of Shulte, there was not much on the shot. Gotham just broke the press of KC, a ball in is played out. As they announce three minutes of stoppage time, Gotham get a corner taken by Sheehan and it is short. Deep throw for Gotham a minute in extra time. Headed over the end line another corner, this one by Sheehan as well, as it is in mid air, a foul in the area leads to a KC DFK. Head injury on field and trainers are called out as Shim takes a kick to the face, going through the concussion tests. Stevens putting on a dribbling clinic, slips it through for Brunhina but the GK was up to the test at the whistle.
Gotham must stop Chawinga and at some point get another player involved in the attack especially if they get nothing going offensively in the early going of the second stanza. KC, keep up the pressure, another goal is still out there.
Chawinga has been sat down for KC to start the second half. Stevens with an early caution. From no goals in the whole of this Cup to a pair in the opening 45’ is not a god look for the League winners of a year ago. Debhina for Dibo, a goal is called back replay shows it was the right call. The team speed is beating the Gotham defense time and again as Wheeler forces Miller to put a leg out but it goes off the frame of the goal. A long ball by Gotham is lofted a bit much and the GK gets under and reels it in. Stevens gets no support and her shot is blocked as she beat a few to get it off. Stevens with another shot and wins a corner off a blocked shot, to be taken for their 6th on the game as KC has none. Again the speed of KC gets in on goal fast, Cooper goes high from a distance. Another ball lost by Gotham for not coming back to the ball. Having watered a bit much at the half, where the sprinklers are you see the water still on the ground. Nealy Martin mugged from behind for a DFK well beyond the area. Miller is down so an injury stoppage. Gotham has subs up, including Whitman. She is on Freeman is out, Matthews in and Zerboni out. Matthews sells a dummy and gets a corner. Sheehan finds Stevens, the ball winds up in the arms of Shulte. Matthews out the area gets hit with the ball as the GK kicks it away and KC is not happy, it is fully legal but did go off her hand, she was out of the area all the law calls for. Matthews has her pressure get a throw in as KC rushed a pass to avoid her. Miller again way off her line has Cooper give her a shot and it is wide. Shim sends one in on the ground but it is taken away. With 15’ to go, Gotham have been better on offense but not getting in on goal with any real dangerous chances. Dibo gives Miller a go from a distance, also wide. Sheehan threads one after getting past a few and Whitman looks goal ward hitting the top of the netting. Scot and Jereko for KC, out are Cooper and and Hutton. Matthew rocked by Ball as she was about to go around, she gets a caution for her foul. Just off the touchline and near the top of the area it is not driven far enough, played out of touch. Brunhina gets a meg and another hard foul. Flores with a quick shot, turned away by Brunhina. Stevens has now at least 4 spin moves, each worked, I am surprised she has not had her legs taken out for it. Stevens great effort to Sheehan, who had the shot, but plays it on and too long, Gotham gets yet another corner with less than 4’ to play, there will be a bit of injury time. Shim find a player it is laid back, shot and blocked over the goal another corner. Sheehan sends it in Shulte may have been screened it was wide but she got a glove on it for a corner. Headed up and with 2’ in regulation time it is taken out of the air by Shulte. Shim is out, gets a high 5 from coach, Baxter who we saw at the last game is in, even at GK a change is made. Smith in goal her first minutes on the year for Miller. KC has Debhina and another out. There are but 4’ of added time to be played. Final 2-0 KC.
An issue with having so many top players as does Gotham is that during international windows in a league that plays a different schedule is, you have many players out, add a few injuries and your level and flow is greatly disrupted, how lopsided in the number of corner, usually a clues as which is the more offensive minded team, that was not the case here as far as possession in the offensive third and shot on goal. This does not mean Gotham bombs out of the playoffs by any means, once at fuller strength, they will be fine and now have gotten good looks at a number of players to make better calls on off season moves.