Gotham FC enter break on high note with comeback win over Bay FC

In a way, the first part of Gotham’s season ended Saturday, with a 2-1 win over Bay FC at Sports Illustrated Stadium, with a veteran and a newcomer — Esther González and Geyse, respectively — staging a comeback after they fell behind in the 12th minute.González capitalized on a 30th-minute turnover by Bay in front of the net.

Geyse created just enough space off a long pass to score early in the second half.And when Bay couldn’t equalize across the final 35-plus minutes, that’s how Gotham entered a nearly six-week break for international games.When the season resumes Aug.

1, they’ll possess the final playoff spot, staring down a simple path to the postseason tournament and a complicated one to get back to the stages they reached — the championship and the semifinals — the last two years.Gotham’s victory Saturday marked just the second time all season they’ve won consecutive NWSL matches. But this early-season slate was always going to be about adjusting.

About tweaking the lineup to accommodate new players after the offseason exits.About waiting for star Rose Lavelle to return and then waiting for her to get back to the starting lineup, which happened Saturday.

They still brought back González, whose goal Saturday gave her a league-high 10 this year, and Lavelle and Emily Sonnett and plenty of other stars, but a chunk of the superteam from 2024 departed — and then star defender Tierna Davidson tore her ACL in April. “It was always going to be a process of adaptation, but at the same time, we know this league,” head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said postgame.“We have to compete.

We have to win.… I would like us to have more points on the table.

I think that’s the same with the group of players. “But then also looking at … we have a lot of young players in the roster at the moment that they’re getting experiences.Experiences like [Saturday] are invaluable.

You can’t get them if you don’t live them.” Amorós, to thi...