Know Your Foe with NJ/NY Gotham supporters group Cloud 9

Cloud 9 is the official supporters group of NJ/NY Gotham. Their leaders were kind enough to answer some questions about the team.

What do the Gotham fans think of the rebrand?

Love it. A rebrand was definitely needed to break away from the baggage of Sky Blue. Many of us were hesitant at first, especially after getting bombarded with Batman themed tifo requests. But we eventually started leaning into it (the name, not the Batman tifos).

Gotham is first in the league in possession and second in goals allowed. That seems like a great statistical formula for success. What's something the numbers don't show that is a reason Gotham is in a good position for a 1st round bye for the playoffs?

Defense has improved tremendously compared to past seasons. The shots our defense does allow are low percentage shots. Some worldies have been scored on us, but that's about it. Also teams can't score on us if they don't have the ball. Seems cliche to mention team chemistry, but that’s a factor too. There was very little roster turnover from last season, which is something new for this franchise.

If I were to pick one area that Gotham may need to improve, I would pick scoring more goals. Is this a concern or do you think Gotham has enough fire power?

Losing Paige and now Purce to injury hasn’t helped in the goal department. But Injuries happen. Even still, firepower is there though we can afford to shoot more, including the midfield.

Has the team's success this season been a surprise, or do you feel like the team has been building towards competing for a trophy for a while?

It’s not a surprise to fans. The team has been putting in the work. We saw that with the Challenge Cup and even in 2019. Again, minimal roster turnover is key to building a competitive team. Even though we didn’t have a full season last year most of these players have had time to develop within Freya’s system. You also can’t discount that the team now has access to proper resources and a world-class stadium.

Who has been the biggest surprise on the team so far this year?

No question, it’s Caprice Dydasco. Some players never quite make it back from one ACL injury, let alone THREE!

Who should Racing fans pay special attention to in this weekend's match?

Dydasco, obviously. Ify (Ifeoma Onumonu) has been a force up top. Look for Long to dictate the midfield. And keep an eye out for a patented Estelle Johnson Tackle™.

Thanks to Jen and the Cloud 9 leadership again. Follow them on Twitter @Cloud9GOTH.