Gotham FC dominates Angel City FC 4-0

It was a night of firsts for Gotham FC, who cruised to a commanding 4-0 win over Angel City FC at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday night. Geyse netted her first NWSL goal, Gabi Portilho and rookie Sarah Schupansky each tallied their first career assists, and midfielder Stella Nyamekye made her league debut.

The 4-0 shutout marks Gotham's largest margin of victory in a clean sheet and their biggest regular season away win in club history. The victory also ties the club's all-time largest win margin, matching 5-1 wins over Boston in 2013 and Bay FC in 2024.

Gotham controlled the tempo early, sticking to a possession-heavy approach that, while occasionally slow and choppy, kept Angel City on their toes. Angel City had flashes – Angel City forward Riley Tieran pushed hard when the ball was in her possession – but Gotham's defense, anchored by a confident performance from Gotham defender Emily Sonnett, held the home side to zero shots on target and three blocked shots.

"We have a really good backline, and that starts in the front," said Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger. "We have so many new players coming in. They just have to understand as well what it means to play for Gotham, like how defensively we have to be first to then succeed."

Esther González led the scoring with her second brace of the season, scoring in the 18th minute with a moment of brilliance dancing around three defenders before slotting a shot off the post in goal. The goal was set up by Portilho, who saved the ball from an Angel City steal off a pass by Jéssica Silva. González then went on to score her second goal with a header off of Schupansky's corner kick at the 75th minute.

Her contributions led her to a total of 15 regular season goals at Gotham, tying with Kelley O'Hara for fourth place on the club's all-time scoring list. This was González' fifth career brace as she now is the joint-leader in the NWSL in scoring.

"The most important thing today was to get three points again, to get back into the groove," González said in Spanish. "That positive momentum of getting three points is our goal, game by game. And of course, at the end of the day, getting balls into the box is what I do best, and scoring goals is something I love."

Gotham doubled its lead after halftime when a driven cross from Lilly Reale deflected off Angel FC defender Miyabi Moriya's head into the net, leaving Angel City goalkeeper Angelina Anderson at a loss.

Gotham forward Geyse, who made her NWSL debut in last week's win over the North Carolina Courage, came onto the pitch for Jéssica Silva, who made her first NWSL start in last night's matchup. It didn't take long for the Brazilian international to make her mark.

Although uncredited for the assist, Midge Purce delivered a calculated cross to Geyse, who launched a right-footed strike into the bottom corner of the net to seal Gotham's win in decisive fashion. Purce continued to look strong in her return from the ACL injury that ended her season last year, showing confidence while taking control of the ball.

"It was a wild game," said Berger. "We actually had a really, really good game. We're really disciplined in the back. We created some good chances, and when we created the chances, we were quite ruthless. I think that's nice to see now."

Gotham appears to be finding its cohesion amidst the turnover of injuries and the introduction of fresh faces to the team. The team's possession tactics allowed them to control the pace of the game, although the somewhat slower pace at the start of the first half allowed Angel City to take advantage and push the ball forward.

Despite the early inconsistencies, Gotham managed to coordinate a strong defensive strategy, and Angel City was unable to navigate Gotham's steady backline.

"Many new players are having to adapt to the system, adapt to each other, and even adapt to the league or professional soccer," Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said in Spanish. "[We] give them confidence that the work they are doing is positive and trusting in their quality to continue working on certain things. The quality of the players has ultimately paid off, and I am extremely proud of the team."

This is the first time Gotham has earned four successive regular-season away victories against a single component. The club is now unbeaten in 10 consecutive road matches across all competitions with six wins and four draws.

Gotham now ties with Angel City for fourth place on the NWSL standings list.

Angel City 0 – 4 Gotham FC | Official Highlights