A Defining Moment: Why Gotham FC vs. Utah Royals Isn't Just Another Game

A Defining Moment: Why Gotham FC vs. Utah Royals Isn't Just Another Game

08/23/2025

Gary Gibson

On paper, this game shouldn't matter. Gotham FC, a club with championship aspirations, is facing the last-place Utah Royals, a team with just one win all season. One would think a routine victory is all but guaranteed, yet for Gotham, this is a season-defining moment.

To understand why, you have to look at the ambitious ethos of this club. Coming off a 2023 championship, a record-breaking third-place finish in 2024, and a Concacaf Champions Cup victory this year, being in ninth place—just outside the playoff picture—is a head-scratcher.

How did we get here? It's a tale of high ambition meeting unfortunate reality. Gotham FC spent big to defend their title last season, but a mass exodus of key players, both high-paid stars and under-compensated contributors, left a void. The club re-established its "destination" identity by bringing in world-class talent like Gabi Portilho and Geyse and welcoming back superstar Midge Purce from injury. But success in the Champions Cup hasn't translated to the regular season.

The main issue has been a struggle to integrate a plethora of talented rookies and incoming talent. This isn't a team with a history of developing young players on the fly, and the learning curve has been steep. Add to that a devastating injury list—losing an all-world defender and captain in Tierna Davidson, and having game-changers like Ella Stevens, Rose Lavelle, and Midge Purce sidelined—and you have a patchwork team trying to find its rhythm. The attack has been overly reliant on center forwards, with a lack of wide threats and an attacking midfield presence due to injuries to key players like Lavelle.

The one constant has been Esther González, who has overperformed and is now leading the league in goals. It's not an exaggeration to say that without Esther, this team would be much farther down the table.

This brings us to the Utah Royals. I've always believed that good teams beat the teams they're supposed to, and great teams win regardless. Unfortunately, Gotham has not consistently done the former. We saw it against Chicago, a bottom-of-the-table team that should have been an easy win but instead forced a frustrating 1-1 draw. We saw it again last week against Houston, another perennial sub-par team that stole three points from a Gotham side that dominated the first half. That loss wasn't just a loss; it was a "six-point game" in soccer terms—Gotham lost three points and Houston gained three, allowing them to climb within two points of the teetering club.

Now, they face the worst-run team in the league. The Utah Royals have just one win from 16 games, a -19 goal differential, and just traded away their only true superstar. They haven't won a match in 11 games and have been shut out in their last two. Gotham already beat them 3-0 earlier this season, even while playing with two fewer players.

This isn't a game Gotham should just win—they need to win convincingly. If Gotham can't beat the Utah Royals handily, and show no mercy in the process, they may as well start preparing for next season and put all their energy into the 2026 Concacaf Champions Cup. The schedule only gets tougher from here. This is their moment to prove their ambition is more than just talk. This is their chance to make a statement and define their season.

How to watch:

For all the drama on the field, watching tonight's match is straightforward. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET from Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. Tune into ION to catch all the action, and see if Gotham can seize this moment and make a statement in their playoff push. For international viewers, the match will be broadcast on TNT Sports 3 in the UK and Ireland, and available on the NWSL+ platform in other regions.