Gotham Ready: "Pressure is Subjective"

photo from Getty Images

by Anthony J. Merced

Gotham FC are heading into one of the biggest games of their history against the Portland Thorns on Sunday evening but appear to be handling the pressure well according to head coach Juan Carlos Amoros. The first-year skipper of Gotham has led the team to a huge turnaround from 2022, making the playoffs, getting their first playoff win and coming within one game of the NWSL Championship.

"Pressure is something that is subjective," said Amoros during the team's pre-game press conference. "We put pressure on ourselves on day one to win football games and that's what got us here. For us it is a special game because it is a semi-final, which has certain aspects that are different from the regular season. There has to be a winner."

Portland and Gotham are not strangers, having played each other twice in 2023 and most recently in early October. Then it was a 1-0 win for the Thorns but all statistics pointed to a well balanced game between the two. Earlier in the year, Gotham took the win from the Thorns at Red Bull Arena, leaving both teams feeling as though a win is possible.

Gotham is also going into the game with added confidence, having won 2-0 at North Carolina, while also boasting the most away wins in the NWSL of any team left in the playoffs. That may seem as though Gotham has the upper hand going into the contest but coach Amoros sees this as a battle between two teams that are well versed in their game plans.

"We are two teams that have a very clear styles of play," said head coach Amoros. "We can hurt them if we play our best on and off the ball. At the same time, they are a very dangerous team going forward. It will require us to be the best version of ourselves. At the same time I think they know we are going to require them to be best version of themselves."

The other semi-final is San Diego Wave against OL Reign, a game that could see legends in the game in the final on either side. Alex Morgan hopes to take the top team in the league through and end Meagan Rapinoe's professional career in the process.

Comments

Red Bulls Announce Fan Experience Improvements

by Garry Redman On top of the theme nights announced this season, something new has been added the next time the season ticket holders and supporters step inside The Cathedral... The state-of-the-art LED lighting system at Red Bull Arena will provide higher on-field light levels for enhanced visibility and safety and introduce new entertainment features that heighten the overall experience for spectators. Built around Musco's Total Light Control—TLC for LED™ technology, the new system is designed to provide exceptional playability and uniformity while minimizing glare. Cleaner, whiter light will elevate the broadcast quality for fans watching around the world. Color-changing fixtures and Show-Light® Pro entertainment technology will allow the Red Bulls to wash the stadium in different colors and synchronize light shows to music, heightening the fan experience during goal celebrations, player introductions, and other big moments. If you have no idea what this means, cl...

Quotes: Red Bulls Show Promise, But More Work Need To Be Done

photo by Matt Kremkau Sixty seconds in a ninety-minute match. That’s all it took for Sporting Kansas City to ruin the Opening Day festivities at Red Bull Arena on Saturday night. The supporters in attendance saw crisp passing and a stout defense that kept the visitors at bay, despite not having striker Alan Pulido in the starting lineup. But significantly, the supporters were buoyed by a return to that press that has last seen since Jesse Marsch was in charge. But that was the first 45 minutes. In the second half, things turned for the better and then, shockingly, worse for the home side that evening. Midfielder Caden Clark, who scored the opening goal, spoke about the match as a whole: I’ve kept that in the back of my mind, actually, not scoring at home. I really wanted to do that in front of the supporters, and it was great to do that in front of the few that were here tonight who brought the noise. When I scored that [goal] the place was shaking, and you feed off of that and gai...

Editorial: New York Red Bulls are Fun to Watch

photo by Matt Kremkau by Daniel Feuerstein The New York Red Bulls 2024 season starts off and running. In their first three matches, they have looked different from their last five to six seasons of doom and despair when trying to attack or have a lapse in judgment on the defensive end. The two big editions for the club are undoubtedly the imports from Sweden in Centerback Noah Elle & attacking midfielder Emil Forsberg. Two players who are a part of the Swedish National Team have started off well in Major League Soccer. We all knew what we were getting right away from Forsberg. A high-energy creative and attacking midfielder who was already bought in from day one, when Director of Sport Jochen Schneider went to Leipzig and brought him over. He was already committed to making the trip to the United States to play his brand of soccer, and so far he hasn't disappointed. Even though he has come close three times off of free kicks, hitting the crossbar twice and being saved by the ke...

Red Bull News Network

Search This Blog