Gotham held to scoreless draw at home by Chicago Stars

In a rainy showdown on Sunday afternoon, Gotham FC were held by Chicago Stars FC to a scoreless draw amidst a series of injuries that forced the Bats to make several formation changes.

Defenders Gabi Portilho and Jess Carter both picked up knocks in recent matches, forcing midfielder Nealy Martin to step into the defense and anchor Gotham's backline. The club made formation changes in nearly every match this season to make up for the long list of injuries, with rookies Sara Schupansky and Lilly Reale proving they're up to the challenge.

Chicago took the field with their own shakeup after Masaki Hemmes took over midweek as head coach after the departure of Lorne Donaldson.

Despite the changes, the match proved to be a gritty affair. Gotham was unable to push past Chicago's defensive wall, led by a defiant performance from goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher. Chicago held their own with renewed defensive discipline, holding firm under Gotham's pressure and walking away with a hard-earned point.

Stalemate

While there was no lack of effort on Gotham's part, the Stars displayed a surprisingly elevated level.

Both teams played a high-caliber match, fighting for every shot in a tightly contested defensive battle, although both struggled to find a breakthrough. A turning point seemed to be in sight for Chicago when Gotham defender Lilly Reale tackled midfielder Jameese Joseph at the 31st minute. After a tense VAR review and prolonged conversations between the referees and Gotham players, the decision came through that there was no penalty, and no foul.

"The players are giving 200% at the moment," said Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós. "Everyone is really pushing, so I can have only words of recognition for the team because it is a difficult situation, and they are performing, working hard for each other, and today that little bit [was missing]."

The energy on the field spiked after the call. Chicago midfielder Maitane López delivered a powerful strike off of Joseph's corner kick, and Gotham's Ella Stevens came close to breaking the stalemate, denied only by Chicago goalkeeper Alyssa Naeher's quick reflexes. The second half was more of the same as both teams pressed forward to take any chance they could get at a shot on target.

Gotham used more opportunities to shoot following halftime, though none were successful. Gotham midfielder Jaelin Howell came the closest with a beautiful shot off of a misplaced pass by Chicago's Cari Roccaro that just hit the crossbar. It was strike after strike following that miss, with Gotham relentlessly driving forward multiple attempts to score to no avail.

Chicago's All-Star defense

The Stars may sit at the bottom of the table, but their performance on the field told a different story.

Gotham dominated possession in the first half and came out with a strong form of attack, keeping play predominantly on the Stars' end of the field. An offensive-heavy approach saw Gotham earn several corner kicks and create promising chances, which were thwarted by their lack of finishing. Emily Sonnett's header in the 24th minute sailed over the crossbar while both of Geyse's shots veered wide.

"[We] had really good opportunities, but it was more finalizing those opportunities, which was really hard," said Gotham defender Bruninha in Portuguese. "[We] were able to sometimes break through Chicago's defense, but it was just finalizing. [We] were not able to do it."

While Gotham's A+ defense is to be expected, it was surprising to see the Stars with this much grit. Chicago's backline blocked most of Gotham's corner crosses with headers of their own and a strong intent to protect Naeher at goal. Gotham met resistance with every forward play they made as the Stars matched their pace, winning duels and blocking passes before they were in contention to be effective shots.

"We just struggled to win second balls, first balls," said Gotham midfielder Taryn Torres. "We're not really concerned on our side going forward, but I just think today, we fell short in some of those duels."

Clean sheets

There was one heart-stopping moment just 13 seconds before the final whistle blew where it seemed that Gotham would emerge victorious.

Gotham defender Midge Purce sent a low cross to 14-year-old McKenna Whitham, who struck the ball cleanly and aimed straight for the heart of the goal. It wasn't to be.

Who else would save it other than the brick wall herself?

The longtime USWNT veteran reminded everyone why she's still one of the most dependable keepers in the league. Ever since her retirement from the national team, questions have swirled around Naeher's future in the NWSL. Though she re-signed with the Stars on a one-year deal post-Olympics, speculation remains about how long she will continue to play professionally. If today's performance was any indication, Naeher isn't ready to call it quits.

The last-minute save was one of five that Naeher made over the 96-minute match. Today's clean sheet was Naeher's 45th for the Stars and 50th in her entire career.

Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger also emerged from the match with a clean sheet in her fourth shutout of the season. Berger went toe-to-toe with Joseph at the 60th minute as the midfielder made an individual run up the pitch. Joseph attempted a strike at Berger, who easily blocked the shot for her only save of the match.

"Obviously it wasn't our best performance, but I do think we kept a clean sheet and had some great saves," said Torres. "Going forward, it's just gonna be about how we can find a way to get the ball in the back of the net."

Gotham now sit at third on the table, tied with the Portland Thorns and the Washington Spirit at 12 points apiece.

Official Highlights | Chicago Stars FC 0 – 0 Gotham FC