Gotham FC stifle KC in Challenge Cup win as the competition's future hangs in the balance.

On a rainy night in Columbus, Ohio, Gotham secured its latest trophy with a clinical 2-0 win over the Kansas City Current.

Much like Thanos’s hunger for the Infinity Stones, Gotham took advantage of a not quite 100% Kansas City Current. While KC had their opportunities, the Bats capitalized on great passing from newly acquired RB Guro Reiten to draw a penalty for Esther to rattle home just ahead of halftime.

Then, when KC failed to capitalize on a few opportunities with Temwa Chawinga charging into space – a rare sight over the past 3 seasons – rookie standout Jordynn Dudley pounced on Kayla Sharples misplaced touch before throwing the 2025 Defender of the Year candidate through the spin cycle. 

Despite the Current’s 60% field tilt, Gotham snatched their opportunities with an iron fist while the Current failed to outcreate through Gotham’s defensive block. 

“There’s so many little things we can take from this game.” Chris Armas optimistically stated. “We’re still becoming the team that we want to become, and these decisive games, these one-offs, these games where the margins are razor thin, you get better at all of the little things that can win you games or not win you games. That never changes in all of these years.” 

Armas is right. The Current has grown out of that disastrous start despite just 1 win away from CPKC this season. The Current were even with Gotham on post-shot expected goals created, and if not for close margins on Temwa Chawinga’s offside goal, they could have been in control heading into the final stretch of the match. 

The difference was ultimately in the play between Ann Katrin-Berger and Marisa Jordan stepping in for the injured Lorena. KC might be fine once they’re at full strength, even with the trade of Ally Sentnor; however, they should strengthen at striker and CDM to return to their position as an elite NWSL side. Clearing out the logjam of 10s was good with Debinha’s return imminent, but there still has to be a central scoring threat. As much as Penelope Hocking and Haley Hopkins have shown the ability to score in bunches, Ryan Dell should be looking to improve, just as he should either look to improve on Bailey Feist at the 6 or Chris Armas just needs to commit to developing Katie Scott as the future of the midfield. 

*Side note: Really cool to see former KC Courage keeper Kaylin Williams getting a shot with the Current. I profiled Williams on a former iteration of this newsletter back in 2023, at the time she was playing for KFF Vllaznia during their Champions League campaign. Read that piece here.

On Gotham’s end, this was another result to cement Juan Carlos Amorós’s legacy as a championship manager, now a Challenge Cup champion on top of 2 NWSL Cups and a Coach of the Year nod in 2023.

“We can’t prepare everything that we want to prepare.” JCA reflected, still drenched from the trophy presentation. “At the end of the day, [the players] are the main characters. The way they go onto the pitch with not only the mentality to win, but to attack and to be ourselves. The desire to do that not only in the attack but on the defensive side as well I think is incredible. Today we played against, what I would say, is the best side in the league at scoring goals and over the last couple of years, we’ve really been able to limit their chances. [...] I’m super proud of them.”

Now, Gotham will turn to the climb back into NWSL contention. They’ll have some help with the addition of Sam Kerr, but how JCA juggles the addition of another attacker without ruining one of the league’s best defensive structures, or without stifling the attacking talent like has been the case at times this season. 

Those scoring woes didn’t matter in Columbus. Gotham was freed from the weight of underperformance, and now they have another opportunity to build fresh momentum into the back half of the season. 

Is the Challenge Cup on life support?

The 2026 edition of the Challenge Cup seemed to catch most by surprise due to a multitude of factors. The NWSL accepted Gotham’s petition to move the match from its usual spot as the season opener to this year’s placement as the 2nd half kickoff due to Gotham’s short offseason and Club World Cup aspirations. Unfortunately, that swap meant that neither Gotham nor KC could host the competition, thanks to FIFA’s host city regulations that dictate certain live events – like top-flight soccer – can’t take place in proximity to World Cup matches. 

So, the NWSL needed a neutral venue and selected Columbus’s ScottsMiracle-Gro Field while the league was in discussion with the Haslam Sports Group about NWSL expansion into Ohio. The neutral venue certainly took the sting out of the match, aided by severe storms sweeping through the Midwest this weekend. 

The stated attendance of 11,369 is incredible, but as we know, tickets sold don’t always translate into actual attendance and environment. The storms and mostly neutral crowd made it so the broadcast could pick up more of the chatter around the 4th official than the crowd in the stands. That isn’t Columbus’s problem – they blew away all expectations – but it is a problem for an NWSL that seems married to the idea of a neutral final, especially as they sell the product on their unique environments. 

The Challenge Cup was never going to cut through the noise of a crowded World Cup Group Stage – especially as the Current had to promote their partnership with the Netherlands national team over a longer Challenge Cup info campaign – especially as kickoff coincided with the biggest underdog story of the World Cup in Cape Verde’s bid to finish 2nd in a group that featured Spain, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia. 

Jason Anderson of Green Line Soccer fame pointed out that the title sponsor, e.l.f. Cosmetics, is only signed on as a presenting sponsor through next season, as is Amazon Prime’s broadcast deal. 

I would also be shocked to see the one-off competition continue into a new media rights cycle unless it is specifically packaged into the next deal. Judging by the general social media impressions of the Challenge Cup compared to a usual NWSL match, it would be tough to sell this iteration of the competition to a potential media suitor, as much as the idea of a season opener Community Shield-type competition makes sense for the league. However, with the rumored US Soccer Cup competition, another restructuring of the CONCACAF Champions Cup, and the continued expansion of the FIFA Club World Cup, the league and the players may have outgrown the need for a relic of the Covid era. 

The NWSL officially returns next Friday with a new set of competition guidelines that readers of this newsletter will recognize from MLS play over the past 2 seasons. Read about that here.

Alright, I’ll be back with a breakdown of the USMNT’s matchup vs Bosnia in the round of 32, a special matchup for this born and raised South St. Louisan, as well as a look into what has suddenly become a difficult path for the Yanks as they look towards an improbable run.