00:00We gotta rewind, we gotta talk about last weekend because Gotham FC advances to the finals after defeating no other than Orlando Pride 1-0 with a stoppage time free kick winner by Jaden Shaw.
00:13I mean, an unbelievable free kick and in the 97th minute, I believe, on the other side of it, Washington Spear also reaches the final after a breathtaking performance against Portland Thorns, defeating them 2-0.
00:27Portland Thorns was a team that was really, really trying to make a deep run in the playoffs. They had a great season. Surprisingly, we see that Kansas City couldn't get it done. It was the biggest surprise.
00:39Now, Alex, do you think that Gotham, because they qualified on 8th place, they defeated probably the best teams in the league. Does that make them the favorites to win this?
00:52I mean, you know, they did finish a little bit, you know, down there in the table, but, you know, the teams that they did go against were the top ones.
01:01I mean, we have Kansas, of course, and then we have Orlando Pride.
01:04I think that this is definitely going to be showing that their level of, you know, confidence going into this final is going to be way superior than Washington,
01:12and I'm going to have to give it to Gotham for sure.
01:15Now, Nick.
01:16Underdogs.
01:17Underdogs.
01:18For sure.
01:18The person that they are going to be speaking the most around this final is Trinity Rodman.
01:23The rumor is that she's leaving NWSL by the end of the season.
01:27This is her opportunity to make a name for herself in the domestic tournament.
01:32How important is it for her to make this the biggest game of her career?
01:36I mean, obviously, as you know, when we're talking about legacy, it's going to change everything.
01:40It's going to put everything into perspective and take things on another level.
01:43To add on to what you were saying, though, I think what we're going to have to watch out for is Washington's early-on pressure,
01:50that press that they're going to try to put on Gotham and make them crack into the beginning.
01:54So it's really going to come down to the top of the match, I think.
01:58That's going to be the most crucial thing to look out for coming into this championship.
02:01Absolutely.
02:02I mean, we have to note that Washington Spirit and Gotham are both championships.
02:06They're both going for that second star on the jersey.
02:09I think, to Nick's point, again, Washington Spirit has been in more finals than Gotham.
02:14They know what it's like to play in these high-state games.
02:17And I think that's something we have to look out for with Washington is they have that, you know, some veterans under their belt.
02:23They really know what they're doing.
02:24And I think that makes a big difference going into a championship game.
02:27Chiba, in these finals, really, once you're there in the game, it doesn't really matter your track record.
02:33It doesn't mean, you know, the number of wins that you have under your belt at that point.
02:37What are the keys for a team to win a final?
02:39I mean, when you're a team like Gotham that are in eighth place and then make it to a final, eliminating Kansas, eliminating Orlando, I think that tells you everything.
02:46I think they have everything to win the championship.
02:48No pressure at all.
02:49They're already in the final.
02:50Even though, you know, of course, you're going to have pressure because it's the final.
02:53At the end of the day, I think it doesn't matter, like you said, what position on the tables they finish.
02:59It's what they deliver that day.
03:01And even though Washington is going to come out in pressure, like Nick was mentioning, I think that Gotham has what it takes to win this championship.
03:08I mean, we've seen it many times.
03:10Eighth place takes it all the way.
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