Team News: Unchanged Starting Lineup For Angel City Matchup

Gotham FC will have a familiar starting XI with records on the horizon as the club heads to the City of Angels for its first meeting of the year against Angel City FC on Sunday night.

There are no starting lineup changes by acting head coach Shaun Harris following Gotham FC’s 2-1 victory against the Kansas City Current on Aug. 14. The club arrives to BMO Stadium undefeated in its road matches against Angel City and is one victory away from tying the NWSL record for consecutive regular-season road wins against a single opponent.

Gotham FC (13-3-4, 43 points) remains atop of the NWSL standings and is unbeaten in eight consecutive matches, one shy of the club record. Since returning from the April international break, Gotham FC has won 12 of 15 matches and earned 38 points, seven more than any other NWSL team during that span.

Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET, with ION carrying the national broadcast.

Midge Purse, who scored her third goal in five matches in the win over the Current, slots into the right side of the backline opposite Guro Reiten. Jess Carter and captain Tierna Davidson start at center back, their fifth consecutive match as the starting pair. Purce’s next goal will be the 30th of her regular-season career, while Reiten’s next assist would tie seven players for the second-most in a single season in club history with five.

Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger has the opportunity to add another record to her resume as she enters Sunday with nine shutouts this season. Her next clean sheet would make her the second-ever NWSL goalkeeper with two 10-shutout seasons, the first to do it in back-to-back seasons and the first to do it for one club.

McCaskill will make her 150th regular season start alongside Jaelin Howell and Rose Lavelle in the midfield. The 30-year-old will become the 32nd player in NWSL history to reach the milestone as she faces one of her former clubs. Howell leads Gotham FC with more than 1,700 minutes played and is the club’s only player to start every regular-season match this year.

Striker Sam Kerr will lead the attacking front, flanked by Jaedyn Shaw to her left and rookie Jordynn Dudley to her right. Kerr recorded her league-leading 80th regular season goal and reclaimed her Gotham FC all-time regular season scoring record (31 goals) with her game-winner against Kansas City.

Gotham FC’s bench includes goalkeepersShelby Hogan and Teagan Wy; defenders Mandy Freeman and Bruninha; midfielders Taryn Torres, Sofia Cook, Talia Sommer and Meredith Speck; and forward Andrea Kitahata.

Midfielder Denise O’Sullivan is also out with a knee injury per the player availability report. Defenders Kayla Duran (knee) and Emily Sonnett (knee) are on the season-ending injury list.

Gotham FC lineup vs. Angel City FC

30 – Ann-Katrin Berger (GK)

23 – Midge Purce

27 – Jess Carter

15 – Tierna Davidson (c)

18 – Guro Reiten

13 – Savannah McCaskill

7 – Jaelin Howell

16 – Rose Lavelle

2 – Jordynn Dudley

20 – Sam Kerr

10 – Jaedyn Shaw

Substitutes: 1 – Shelby Hogan (GK), 31 – Teagan Wy (GK); 3 – Bruninha, 8 – Taryn Torres, 14 – Talia Sommer, 21 – Sofia Cook, 22 – Mandy Freeman, 24 – Andrea Kitahata, 25 – Meredith Speck