Yael Averbuch West addresses Gotham FC's downward spiral

NJ/NY Gotham FC General Manager Yael Averbuch West addressed supporters after the team’s eighth consecutive loss on Sunday. 

“I assure you all, we are NOT ok with being at the bottom of the table,” Averbuch West responded to a Tweet from The Athletic’s Meg Linehan. “To Meg’s point, this position is all too common for this club.”

It has not been an easy season for Gotham FC after a string of negative results leaves the NJ/NY club in last place with just 12 points in 17 games. The team saw a change of management in August, firing Scott Parkinson and bringing in Hue Menzies to conclude the season in a positive manner. 

But the team has fallen down the rabbit hole. 

The roster’s lack of consistency has not aided the situation either, as injuries continue to plague the team. Ashlyn Haris and Imani Dorsey have been unavailable for Gotham for an extended period of time, while 2021 NWSL Defender of the Year Caprice Dydasco was just traded to the Houston Dash.

Allie Long is on maternity leave and remains out for the team as well. 

But Averbuch West insists the team has a plan to move forward. 

“We are working, alongside ownership, on our on-field club identity, just as the club re-branded off the field about a year and a half ago. As we work to identify our next Head Coach and look at our roster for 2023, we recognize the need for an identity that goes beyond who is currently here.”

With only five regular-season games left and no chance of making the playoffs, Gotham must look to the offseason to improve.  

“We feel very hopeful as we create this blueprint and we are grateful for those of you who have stuck with us to support up until this point,” she said. “We urge you all to see this time as the beginning of a journey!”