OL Reign and NJ/NY Gotham FC will compete in the NWSL Championship at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California to determine the winner of the 2023 season. OL Reign, ranked fourth, are three-time NWSL Shield winners but have never won the championship. Similarly, sixth-ranked Gotham FC, who were runners-up in the 2021 Challenge Cup, seek their first NWSL Championship win. The game will be broadcast on CBS.
The upcoming match between OL Reign and NJ/NY Gotham FC promises to be an exciting contest. OL Reign, despite ending the regular season with a lackluster performance, has exceeded expectations in the playoffs. They defeated a strong Angel City side in the quarterfinals and ousted the 2023 NWSL Shield winners, San Diego Wave FC, in the semifinals. Head coach Laura Harvey and her team have reached the Championship final in 2014 and 2015, but the current scenario feels different to her.
Megan Rapinoe, a former USWNT player and two-time World Cup champion, announced her retirement earlier this year and will conclude her professional career at the end of this club season. All eyes will be on her in the final game, while her USWNT teammate Rose Lavelle, who returned to the team during the semifinal, will play a crucial role in creating attacking opportunities.
On the other hand, Gotham FC aims to complete a remarkable turnaround, going from last place in the 2022 season to competing in the final. Led by new head coach Juan Carlos Amorós, the team has demonstrated impressive defensive capabilities throughout the season and playoffs. Additionally, Gotham FC’s offensive efforts are distributed among multiple players, with eight goal-scorers who have each scored two or more goals this year.
Here is all the information you need about the game:
Viewing info
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 11 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Place: Snapdragon Stadium — San Diego, California
- TV: CBS
NWSL Championship broadcast schedule
All times EDT
- 6 PM: Pregame coverage (CBS Sports Golazo Network and Paramount+)
- 7:30: Pregame (CBS and Paramount+ premium)
- 8 PM: NWSL Championship: (CBS and Paramount+ premium)
Playoff rules
The NWSL postseason follows a knockout-round format. Six teams advanced to the playoffs with three rounds of competition including two first-round matches, two semifinal games (Nov. 5), and the NWSL Championship (Nov. 11). Each playoff game will be 90 minutes of regulation, with additional 15-minute periods of extra time if the score is tied. If a winner is not determined after the extra time, a penalty kick shootout will take place.
Players to watch
Veronica Latsko (OL Reign): The attacking midfielder has scored two game-winning goals for the Reign in their last two playoff rounds and is tied with Bethany Balcer for most goals (6) on the team. Latsko is known for her energetic work ethic and her ability to navigate through tight spaces, making her a dangerous threat for the team during the final.
Midge Purce (Gotham FC): Purce, the right winger, is second on the team in goals scored this season (4) and in expected goals (4.24). Despite being available for only 14 appearances this season, Purce’s impact on the pitch is evident, with her impressive per 90 minutes played scale of 0.39 xG.
What they’re saying
Sofia Huerta on Reign getting back to the final with Laura Harvey: “It’s been hard, but Laura, it’s so hard to be a coach. If you win, it’s the players. If you lose, it’s the coach. I think it’s a really difficult job to be in, and I think as a team, it’s really important for us to win this for her for sure. Because she’s been a great manager all year. There have been times when we haven’t performed, and it’s on us. For the game coming up, she trusts me, and that helps me a lot, but we also just all really trust each other too. Anyone who’s on the ball I trust is going to make something special happen.”
Midge Purce, on Gotham heading to the final: “We jokingly say from worst to first, but I don’t think we ever really looked at ourselves as the worst. We just know, and have known, that we could do it. And I think for there to be this redemptive tone, we would have to really be trying to bounce back from something but this is a new group. It’s a new coaching staff. It’s completely new, so we more feel like we have nothing to lose and something to prove.”
Prediction
Expect a close game between OL Reign and Gotham FC. Pick: OL Reign 2, Gotham 1
