OL Reign face Gotham FC in what promises to be a memorable and emotional championship match of the 2023 NWSL Playoffs.
The match, to be played at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, will pit OL Reign midfielder Megan Rapinoe against Gotham FC defender Ali Krieger in the final career match for the former teammates on the US Women's National Team.
This is an unlikely matchup as OL Reign are seeded fourth and defeated Angel City and top seed San Diego by identical 1-0 scores with Veronica Latsko scoring the only goal in each match.
Gotham were seeded sixth and went on the road to defeat North Carolina 2-0 thanks to goals by Delaney Sheehan and Yazmine Ryan and followed that up with an upset of defending NWSL champions Portland 1-0 on a 107th-minute goal by Katie Stengel.
Team news
Manager Laura Harvey, seeking her first title after runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2015, has no injury concerns or suspensions to deal with, giving her a full squad to choose from.
Imani Dorsey (excused absence), starting goalkeeper Abby Smith (lower leg), Taylor Smith (thigh), Taryn Torres (season-ending knee), and McCall Zerboni (season-ending knee) are all out.
Predicted lineups
OL Reign: Dickey; McClernon, Barnes, Cook, Huerta; Fishlock, Sonnett; Rapinoe, Lavelle, Latsko;, Huitema
Gotham FC: Haught; Nighswonger, Krieger, Lopez, Bruninha; Ryan, Martin, Sheehan; Williams, Gonzalez, Purce
Ones to watch
Megan Rapinoe (OL Reign) and Ali Krieger (Gotham FC)
Normally I would put the two players in separate categories and list why they're so key but there's really no reason to do that here.
Rapinoe and Krieger are legends of the sport at both club level with OL Reign and Gotham FC as well as with the US Women's National Team.
Throw in the fact that they are best friends and seeking their first championship and you couldn't ask for a better storyline.
Previous meetings
Although it isn't a factor as this match is being played at a neutral site, the road team won both meetings.
In April, goals by Jess Fishlock and Bethany Balcer either side of halftime gave OL Reign a 2-0 victory, their fourth straight win over the Gotham.
A month later, that streak was snapped as Jenna Nighswonger and Lynn Williams put NJ/NY 2-0 ahead after just 12 minutes and Taylor Smith and Bruninha added to that total.
Jordyn Huitema spoiled the shutout in the 77th minute but the Gotham ended their personal and team losing streak with an emphatic 4-1 win.
How to watch
The match will be nationally televised on CBS with Jacqui Oatley serving as the play-by-play announcer and Lori Lindsey as analyst.
Kickoff is set for 8pm Eastern time.