Two Golden Boot front-runners will clash on CBS as the NWSL regular season returns from an international break. Just one goal separates Kansas City’s Temwa Chawinga (six) and Gotham FC’s Esther Gonzalez (seven) in a very close scoring title chase, and their two clubs will meet for the first time this season when Gotham FC and Kansas City Current square off on Saturday at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. Fans can tune into the showdown on CBS.
Both sides are former 2024 NWSL semifinalists but are navigating the 2025 season in different ways. Kansas City is in first place, leads the league with eight wins, and has quickly established itself as a title contender with their deep roster, clinical finishing, and revamped defense.
Head coach Vlatko Andonovski and staff are managing an injury to MVP contender Debinha, but have the personnel to stay competitive as the midway point of the season approaches.
Despite sitting in ninth place, Gotham FC is coming off an inaugural Concacaf Champions Cup victory where they sealed a place in qualification for both the 2026 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup and the inaugural FIFA Women’s Club World Cup in 2028.
Head coach Juan Carlos Amoros and his staff have had to get creative in light of numerous injuries, including a season-ending ACL for U.S. national team defender Tierna Davidson. The group is hopeful that USWNT midfielder Rose Lavelle is near a return from her offseason ankle surgery.
Here are storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Saturday, June 7 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: Sports Illustrated Stadium
- TV: CBS | Live stream: Paramount+
Last meeting
The two sides met last year during the inaugural NWSL x LIGA MX FEMENIL SUMMER CUP final at Toyota Field in San Antonio, Texas.
The first-ever summer tournament partnership between Division I women’s domestic leagues in the United States and Mexico featured all 14 NWSL clubs split into five groups with six Liga MX Femenil teams. Following the group stage, there was a four-team playoff round was held, with two finalists left to compete for the Cup championship. Kansas City Current defeated Gotham FC, 2-0, to lift the cup thanks to goals from Temwa Chawinga.
During the 2024 NWSL regular season, the two clubs faced each other twice and settled for 1-1 draws during each meeting. The two sides ended the season with postseason berths and were eliminated during the 2024 NWSL semifinal round.
What Gotham are saying
The East Coast side is riding high from their Concacaf W Champions Cup victory. It’s another trophy to add into the cabinet alongside the 2023 NWSL Championship, and places expectation on the club for next year’s Concacaf tournament and the future FIFA Women’s Club World Cup in 2028.
Gotham’s participation in the tourney means the rest of the league has caught up, and all teams are now level on ten matches played. It also means Gotham’s former mid-table status evaporated, and they sit in ninth place just out of the 2025 playoff picture. With just a few weeks until the season’s halfway point, head coach Juan Carlos Amoros is adamant this is the perfect time for Gotham to get back into the mix.
“The competition in Mexico was different, obviously, with the extra time, with different opposition to the NWSL, different challenges, different weather conditions, but at the end of the day, it’s another football game where we want to be Gotham. We want to entertain our fans, enjoy the gameplay, and get the three points.
“Obviously, paying extra attention, we can’t ignore the fact that at the moment they’re top of the table, in their own right they’ve been the best team this year so far. So, we need to make sure, hopefully, that we stop that run, and then we can get three points out of them.”
What the Current are saying
Being the first-place team doesn’t come easy, and with a long season to navigate, the Current aren’t looking at the league table with the belief that Gotham is going to be some easy task. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski considers the East Coast road trip a big test for his squad.
“I just think that they’re dangerous. You can tell that even though they maybe didn’t get the goals or the points — as many this year, they’re creating a lot, and creating in a way that not many teams can do. We know that going to New Jersey to play Gotham, it’s going to be a difficult test for us, and we don’t take it lightly. We don’t even look at the standings, or where they stand, or how many goals they’ve scored or not. We just analyze them as a team, and we see a lot of good things that they do,” Andonovski said.
“Gotham is a very interesting team. They’re very, very savvy. Very free-flowing and creative. So, they present different challenges than most teams, if not different challenges than all the teams in the league. Because they do all kinds of different rotations, it’s hard to follow everything that they do. So, we have to be so alert and focused for 90 minutes, because if you just shut down for a second, they’ll punish you. They’ll have such great individuals that they’ll they’ll punish you. They’ll take advantage of it.”
Predicted lineups
Gotham FC: Ann Katrin-Berger; Lily Real, Emily Sonnett, Jess Carter, Mandy Freeman; Jaelin Howell, Taryn Torres, Geyse, Sarah Schupansky, Midge Purce, Esther Gonzalez
Kansas City Current: Lorena; Hailie Mace, Kayla Sharples, Elizabeth Ball, Izzy Rodriguez; Vanessa DiBernardo, Lo’Eau LaBonta, Claire Hutton; Haley Hopkins, Temwa Chawinga, Bia Zaneratto,
Player to watch
Sarah Schupansky, Gotham FC: The rookie attacker has been a major bright spot on the roster as they navigated early offseason injuries. She’s taken on the extra responsibilities of playmaking and defending, and her solid, reliable play has now made lineup changes difficult on the coaching staff as more experienced players make their way back into form.
The first year Pitt alum has been abosrbing as much as possible from veteran players ahead of her, and she chatted with Attacking Third about some teammates she’s learned from, including Rose Lavelle.
“Rose is coming back now, and that is something that I’ve been so excited for because I’ve been watching her for the longest time, the biggest fan of her, and she’s just turning out to be the best person ever as well,” said Schupansky.
“Now that she’s getting more involved, she’s calling me over and helping me with the little idiosyncrasies that come with playing the number 10 position, and I don’t think there’s anybody better in the world to be learning from than her. So that’s been really special as well, but I think there’s so much to learn from every single person on the field, even if they’re not in your position.”
Prediction
The fixture break might have given some injured players extra time off, and it may affect how the match plays out as both teams kick off any rust. Could be a narrow result. Pick: Gotham FC 2, Kansas City Current 1
Latest news
– Gotham FC lifts inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup
– Rose Lavelle could make NWSL regular season return “soon”
– Attacking Third NWSL week 11 preview with Lisa Carlin, Darian Jenkins, and Jordan Angeli
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