Another day, another injury, another toothless result for Gotham FC.
Defensive anchor Tierna Davidson was knocked out in the first half with an apparent hamstring injury, and Gotham’s uneven start to a high-profile defense of the NWSL title continued Saturday in a 2-0 loss. 0 on the road against the Washington Spirit.
“I’m so surprised we didn’t play to our potential in this game,” Gotham forward Lynn Williams said. “I think we can go back to the drawing boards and see where everything went wrong.”
Gotham (1-2-1) has scored just two goals in four matches (five if you include the Challenge Cup), both from forward Esther González.
The Spirit (4-1-0) scored on a world-class strike from rookie Croix Bethune in the first half and an Ashley Hatch penalty in the second half after Davidson’s replacement, Sam Hiatt, committed a handball in the area. Spirit star Trinity Rodman tormented Gotham all afternoon with her runs behind the backline. Davidson found himself lame while following one of these races.
In addition to the implications of a potential absence for Gotham, Davidson is a go-to center back for the U.S. women’s national team, which begins play in the Olympics in about three months.
“It was really tough and I think Tierna’s injury affected us a little bit,” Gotham defender Maitane López said, “but I think we as a team need to come together this week.”
New York Post
