Two top contenders for the Golden Boot will face off on CBS as the NWSL regular season resumes after an international break. Temwa Chawinga of Kansas City (six goals) and Esther Gonzalez of Gotham FC (seven goals) are neck-and-neck in the scoring race. Their teams meet for the first time this season on Saturday at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. The match will be broadcast on CBS.
Both teams reached the NWSL semifinals last year but are having different 2025 seasons. Kansas City currently leads the league with eight wins and has quickly established itself as a title contender, boasting a deep roster, clinical finishing, and an improved defense.
Head coach Vlatko Andonovski`s staff is managing an injury to MVP candidate Debinha, but the team has sufficient personnel to remain competitive as the season approaches its midpoint.
Despite being in ninth place, Gotham FC is coming off a victory in the inaugural Concacaf Champions Cup. This win secured their qualification for the 2026 FIFA Women`s Champions Cup and the first FIFA Women`s Club World Cup in 2028.
Head coach Juan Carlos Amoros and his staff have had to adapt due to numerous injuries, including a season-ending ACL injury for USWNT defender Tierna Davidson. The team is hopeful that USWNT midfielder Rose Lavelle is close to returning after offseason ankle surgery.
How to Watch and Odds
- Date: Saturday, June 7 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
- Location: Sports Illustrated Stadium
- TV: CBS | Live stream: Paramount+
Last Meeting
The teams last met during the inaugural NWSL x LIGA MX FEMENIL SUMMER CUP final last year at Toyota Field in San Antonio, Texas. Kansas City Current defeated Gotham FC 2-0 to win the cup, with both goals scored by Temwa Chawinga.
During the 2024 NWSL regular season, the two clubs played twice, with both matches ending in 1-1 draws. Both sides qualified for the postseason but were eliminated in the 2024 NWSL semifinal round.
What Gotham are Saying
The East Coast team is buoyant following their Concacaf W Champions Cup victory. This adds another trophy to their cabinet alongside the 2023 NWSL Championship. Their participation in the tournament meant they caught up on NWSL matches, and all teams are now level on ten played. Gotham sits in ninth place, just outside the playoff spots for 2025. With the season`s halfway point approaching, head coach Juan Carlos Amoros insists this is the ideal time for Gotham to climb back up the standings.
Coach Amoros commented on the return to NWSL play: “The competition in Mexico was different, obviously, with the extra time, with different opposition to the NWSL, different challenges, different weather conditions, but at the end of the day, it’s another football game where we want to be Gotham. We want to entertain our fans, enjoy the gameplay, and get the three points.
Obviously, paying extra attention, we can’t ignore the fact that at the moment they’re top of the table, in their own right they’ve been the best team this year so far. So, we need to make sure, hopefully, that we stop that run, and then we can get three points out of them.”
What the Current are Saying
Being the first-place team comes with challenges, and Kansas City is not underestimating Gotham despite their lower standing. Head coach Vlatko Andonovski views the road trip to New Jersey as a significant test for his team.
Coach Andonovski stated: “I just think that they’re dangerous. You can tell that even though they maybe didn’t get the goals or the points — as many this year, they’re creating a lot, and creating in a way that not many teams can do. We know that going to New Jersey to play Gotham, it’s going to be a difficult test for us, and we don’t take it lightly. We don’t even look at the standings, or where they stand, or how many goals they’ve scored or not. We just analyze them as a team, and we see a lot of good things that they do.”
He added: “Gotham is a very interesting team. They’re very, very savvy. Very free-flowing and creative. So, they present different challenges than most teams, if not different challenges than all the teams in the league. Because they do all kinds of different rotations, it’s hard to follow everything that they do. So, we have to be so alert and focused for 90 minutes, because if you just shut down for a second, they’ll punish you. They’ll have such great individuals that they’ll they’ll punish you. They’ll take advantage of it.”
Predicted Lineups
Gotham FC: Ann Katrin-Berger; Lily Real, Emily Sonnett, Jess Carter, Mandy Freeman; Jaelin Howell, Taryn Torres, Geyse, Sarah Schupansky, Midge Purce, Esther Gonzalez
Kansas City Current: Lorena; Hailie Mace, Kayla Sharples, Elizabeth Ball, Izzy Rodriguez; Vanessa DiBernardo, Lo’Eau LaBonta, Claire Hutton; Haley Hopkins, Temwa Chawinga, Bia Zaneratto
Player to Watch
Sarah Schupansky, Gotham FC: The rookie attacker has been a significant positive for the team, especially while navigating early-season injuries. She has taken on extra playmaking and defensive duties, and her consistent, reliable performance has made lineup decisions challenging for the coaching staff as more experienced players regain fitness.
The first-year alum from Pitt has been learning as much as possible from veteran players, including Rose Lavelle.
Schupansky shared her thoughts: “Now that she’s getting more involved, she’s calling me over and helping me with the little idiosyncrasies that come with playing the number 10 position, and I don’t think there’s anybody better in the world to be learning from than her. So that’s been really special as well, but I think there’s so much to learn from every single person on the field, even if they’re not in your position.”
Prediction
The international break may have given some injured players extra recovery time, and it could influence the match as both teams shake off any rust. The result is expected to be close.
Pick: Gotham FC 2, Kansas City Current 1
Adrian Whitmore