Gotham FC‘s players have hit out at the scheduling of the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup after the NWSL side was upset by Corinthians in the semifinals on Wednesday.
New York-based Gotham, which qualified for the FIFA event by winning the first Concacaf Champions Cup, was beaten 1-0 by the South American champions in London.
It was Gotham’s first competitive match since winning the NWSL championship on Nov. 22. The new NWSL season does not begin until March 13.
Asked whether she was happy with the intercontinental event being staged in January, during the NWSL offseason, Gotham defender Jess Carter told reporters: “Absolutely not. I don’t think anyone is but I don’t really know when else to put it in to be honest.
“I mean you’re asking players to cut their offseason short when everyone’s just had competitions and Euros and traveling across the world. And then we come in after very limited time off and have to play again.”
The six-team women’s Champions Cup was created as an intercontinental championship for women’s club teams. It builds on a growing number of regional club competitions, led by the success of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
FIFA is also introducing a 16-team Women’s Club World Cup, which will launch in 2028 and be played every four years. The new Champions Cup will be held every year, except years when the Club World Cup takes place.
The growth in the number and length of competitions has provoked debate about the workload for the top women’s players.
“I think at the moment there’s just a lot of games being added to the women’s game and people are just hoping everyone can cope with the load,” Carter added.
“Just take care of us, look after the players. We all want to play, we want to give everybody the highest level of entertainment and we can only do that if were all fully fit and that goes across the board for every single women’s game.”
Gotham lost two players to injury during the loss. Gotham’s Gabi Portilho needed treatment after being kicked on her right foot before the break and eventually had to go off early in the second half. Team captain Rose Lavelle also went off injured in stoppage time.
Gotham later said that United States midfielder Lavelle was replaced due to concussion-like symptoms and will be placed in concussion protocol.
Corinthians captain Gabi Zanotti scored the lone goal of the semifinal in the 82nd minute, beating Gotham’s German international goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger.
“There should be a better system that everyone comes fit enough into that competition because you want to play against the best teams and you have to figure out when the best time is,” Berger said.
Corinthians now face the winner between Arsenal and African champion ASFAR of Rabat, Morocco, in the second semifinal, with Gotham taking on the loser in the third-place playoff. Both games will take place on Sunday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
