The stage is set.
There were fireworks and confetti cannons Friday night as Gotham FC opened its long-awaited 2024 NWSL campaign in the Challenge Cup as defending league champions with a flashy new lineup.
Even if not everyone could be on the pitch, the stars were there and so were the dignitaries.
The stands were nearly full with a near-record crowd for a Gotham home game at Red Bull Arena.
Except there’s that pesky old thing called the scoreboard.
Instead, the San Diego Wave hoisted the trophy on stage after Alex Morgan’s header in the 88th minute gave them a 1-0 victory.
“This is a really special place,” said Crystal Dunn, a Long Island native and homecoming Gotham newcomer. “I just want the game to go in a different direction.”
The attendance was announced at 14,241, making it the second-highest attendance for a Gotham FC game ever held at Red Bull Arena.
The lower bowl was nearly full, as were several sections upstairs, and the audience was engaged throughout.
“Tonight was special,” longtime Gotham forward Midge Peirce said. “I have so much respect for them and I’m really humbled by the outpouring of support because I wasn’t just a spectator. They were into it. They understood what was going on. When the yellows weren’t good, the crowd wasn’t happy. So it’s encouraging to see everyone come out.”
Also in the audience was legendary New Jersey goaltender Tim Howard.
Giants coach Brian Daboll was in attendance representing a different kind of football.
Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff was also there representing Political Football.
Before the game, he lit Gotham’s cauldron.
If they were here to see Gotham’s new stars light up the night, this would have been one hell of a Big Dipper night.
Rose Lovell and Lynn Williams did not wear dresses and needed more time to recover from the previous week’s Gold Cup tournament.
Dunn, Emily Sonnette and Jenna Neiswonger started on the bench, as did Morgan from San Diego.
Gotham created the majority of promising chances throughout much of the night, but none of it showed until new goaltender Cassie Miller made a save on San Diego starlet Jadyn Shaw and Morgan came out. We held them scoreless – a reminder of who our biggest stars were It really was inside the building – we went through.
“I think there are a lot of things we can improve on, but at the end of the day, 12 shots and two on target is terrible,” Peirce said. “The name of the game is to score, and we didn’t do that.”
This was Gotham’s only consolation. At least he didn’t count in the standings.
“Honestly, I was surprised at how well we came together on the field,” Peirce said. “It’s really exciting for us to get our first look at what football is all about and it gets us excited for the rest of the season.”
The Challenge Cup was reimagined this year as a one-time trophy game between Gotham’s defending NWSL champion and San Diego’s defending Shield winner.
The Challenge Cup was created in 2020 as a tournament to replace the regular season, marking the return of American professional sports in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021 and 2022 it was a pre-season tournament, but in 2023 it became an in-season tournament.
The San Diego players received $3,500 in prize money, and Morgan earned an additional $2,000 as MVP. Gotham players received $2,200 per player.
