Team News: Purce, Shaw Return to Starting XI for KC Rematch Gotham FC’s star attackers Midge Purce and Jaedyn Shaw are set to return to the starting lineup for Saturday’s match against the Kansas City Current at CPKC Stadium. The game, scheduled for a 4 p.m. ET kickoff, marks a rematch of last year’s historic NWSL quarterfinal, where the eighth-seeded Gotham FC stunned the top-seeded Current to advance to the championship. The club’s lineup will see two key changes following its 0-0 draw against the Orlando Pride in its previous match. Lead assistant coach Shaun Harris will take over as head coach Juan Carlos Amorós is absent due to family obligations, as his wife prepares for the arrival of their second child. The broadcast will be carried by CBS. This weekend’s match will be Gotham FC’s first visit to Kansas City since their 2025 postseason victory, a moment that reshaped NWSL history. As the No. 8 seed, Gotham became the first team to defeat a No. 1 seed in playoff history, securing a historic win over the Current, which had set the regular-season record. Purce, a veteran forward, will make her second start of the regular season and first since the opening match against Boston. She has previously scored two goals against the Current, while Shaw, returning to the XI for the first time since March 14, will face Kansas City after contributing a goal and an assist in last year’s playoff clash. The duo will partner with Spanish striker Esther González up front. In midfield, Rose Lavelle will captain Gotham FC, having recently joined the NWSL’s 100-match club after a performance against Orlando. She will start alongside Savannah McCaskill and Jaelin Howell, who leads the team with 23 duels this season. The trio will start together for the fourth time in five matches.#jaedyn_shaw #kansas_city_current #gotham_fc #midge_purce #cpkc_stadium
