Can Rose Lavelle save Gotham FC?

NJ/NY Gotham FC seem to be in a slump. They currently sit 10th in the table, despite most preseason predictions placing them comfortably in the top four. They've already lost more games this season than they did all of last year. Compared to 2024, they’re conceding more goals per game and scoring fewer. A mini-crisis is unfolding, and many fans are hoping Rose Lavelle can save them. But are they right?

Goals, Goals, Goals

Gotham needs more goals. They’ve failed to score in five matches already this season (45%), while last year they failed to score in just four league games total.

In 2024, the team’s top five goal contributors were Esther González, Ella Stevens, Rose Lavelle, Yazmeen Ryan, and Lynn Biyendolo.

Yazmeen Ryan and Lynn Biyendolo both departed over the summer. Together, they contributed 16 combined goals and assists—no small loss. So far, new signings haven’t filled the gap. Only four Gotham players besides González have scored this season, and none of them has scored more than once. Gabi Portilho and Sarah Schupansky each have 3 G+A, but Portilho has also dealt with injury and has played in less than 50% of available minutes.

Ella Stevens has yet to score this season. She’s been in and out of the squad with injuries, but even when fit, she’s struggled to find form. Her xG per 90 is significantly lower than last year, and Gotham is missing her output. In 2024, she was second only to González in combined goals and assists.

González, on the other hand, has remained as reliable as ever. Her goals per 90 stood at 0.51 in 2024 and currently sits at 0.66. She’s joint-top of the league’s scoring charts, holding her own alongside stars like Barbra Banda and Temwa Chawinga. She’s more than pulling her weight for Gotham.

Rose Lavelle didn’t lead the scoring or assist charts last season, but she was a crucial part of the attack. She was joint second in goals (with Stevens) and led the team in expected goals (xG). It was also the best goals + assists (8) season of her career.

However, her goals and assists might not be what Gotham is missing most right now. Not to state the obvious, but Lavelle is excellent at passing—and in this regard, Gotham fans are right to be excited about her return. Last season, Gotham led the league in progressive passes, and Lavelle was their top contributor. This matters: according to American Soccer Analysis (ASA), around 40% of goals come from progressive passing. Losing their best progressive passer has undoubtedly hampered Gotham’s attack.

Below is González’s shot map so far this season. ASA’s Where Goals Come From findings suggest she’s overly reliant on set piece passes and basic passes for shot creation. The other three sources of shots, progressive passes, individual play and set piece kicks, are areas where Gotham could use more output.

There’s little doubt that if Gotham wants more consistent and sustainable shot creation, getting their best progressive passer back on the pitch is one of the best ways to do it.

But here’s the bigger picture: Lavelle and González can’t do it all.

Gotham is missing more than just Rose Lavelle right now. Stevens needs to rediscover her form, but more importantly, others need to step up. The team can’t rely so heavily on one or two players. Even if Stevens and Lavelle were fully fit and replicating last year’s output, there would still be significant gaps left by Biyendolo and Ryan. This isn’t just a Rose problem; it’s a Gotham problem.

Defensive Instability

Something’s not quite right in Gotham’s defense. Last season, they conceded 2+ expected goals against (xGA) just once during the regular season. This year, it’s already happened twice.

Ann-Katrin Berger, last season’s Goalkeeper of the Year, led the league in goals conceded per 90 (0.73) among keepers who played at least half the season. This year, she’s fifth in that same stat. She conceded only 16 goals in all of 2024—but has already let in 12. Her save percentage has dropped from 82.5% to 69.7%, despite facing a similar number of shots on target per 90.

Still, the blame shouldn’t fall solely on Berger. Gotham has used seven different back fours in just 11 games. They’ve only repeated the same back four in consecutive matches twice. Nealy Martin, typically Gotham’s go-to defensive midfielder, has been deployed in the backline three times in two different positions. An early-season injury to Tierna Davidson robbed the team of their preferred starting center-back pairing, and they’ve already cycled through three different CB duos.

Having let Sam Hiatt, Jenna Nighswonger, and Crystal Dunn leave in the offseason—and only signing one defender, Lily Reale—it’s fair to question whether Gotham left themselves too thin at the back.

All these changes spell instability, and instability often leads to a shakier defense.

So, can Rose Lavelle save Gotham FC?

No—not on her own.

There’s no doubt Lavelle will bring some much-needed firepower to Gotham’s attack and, hopefully, elevate the play of those around her. But Gotham can't rely solely on Esther and Rose. And they certainly can’t expect those two to solve the defensive instability the team is facing right now.

A more settled back four could go a long way in helping Gotham pick up more points—but this needs to be a collective fix, not a one-woman rescue mission.

Data: Opta