{"id":5849,"date":"2026-07-30T15:43:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T15:43:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849"},"modified":"2026-07-30T15:43:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T15:43:29","slug":"bay-fc-midway-through-2026-season-what-loss-to-gotham-says-about-the-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849","title":{"rendered":"Bay FC midway through 2026 season: What loss to Gotham says about the team"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

It took just two minutes for reigning champion Gotham FC to deliver its opening statement Wednesday night at PayPal Park. That early strike was enough to send Bay FC to the midpoint of the season with a second straight loss.<\/p>\n

Read more Larry Magid: Recognizing and preventing online radicalization<\/a><\/p>\n

Just six minutes after Midge Purce\u2019s close-range lefty tap-in to the top left corner gave the visitors the early advantage, Kennedy Fuller appeared to find an equalizer off Karlie Lema left-side service. After video review, though, referee Servando Berna Rico overturned the goal for offside \u2014 a decision that, even postgame, left Bay coach Emma Coates puzzled.<\/p>\n

From there, and with a great showing from Bay FC goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz, neither side could break through again, as the final 80 minutes passed without another goal.<\/p>\n

Bay found just three shots on goal, to Gotham\u2019s 10, were out-possessed 59% to 41%, as what once was a three-game unbeaten streak out of the month-long NWSL break for the men\u2019s World Cup has become a two-game skid.<\/p>\n

In Wednesday\u2019s loss, Bay FC (5-8-3, 18 points) eclipsed the halfway point of the season, now 14th in a 16-team field with 14 matches remaining in the club\u2019s third year. They won\u2019t have to wait long for an opportunity to rebound from the two-game losing streak, as Bay will close out a busy three-game, eight-day stretch hosting Seattle Reign FC on Saturday evening.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, the race for a playoff spot is narrow \u2014 just five points separate the seventh and 14th seed in the standings. Though a similar scoring-touch issue is not fully resolved, Bay FC is certainly unrecognizable from its forgettable four-win 2025 season. Halfway through, there have been a few key developments:<\/p>\n

Silkowitz can\u2019t overcome D breakdowns<\/strong><\/p>\n

The 26-year-old keeper, enjoying a breakout second NWSL season, has been the anchor for Bay FC. Through 16 regular-season games, she\u2019s made a league-high 69 saves \u2014 just ahead of Houston\u2019s Jane Campbell, a former Stanford Cardinal standout and USWNT goalie \u2014 and has kept four clean sheets. If not for her acrobatics and instincts, the club\u2019s minus-five goal differential could be buried much deeper.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cShe keeps us in games,\u201d Coates said after the loss. \u201cI\u2019m frustrated for her as well, the fact that we conceded from a set play, and she\u2019s made all those great saves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silkowitz\u2019s nine saves ended up as Bay FC\u2019s brightest moments on Wednesday after Fuller\u2019s early equalizer was overturned. But the goals the club has conceded over its last two matches were indeed frustrating from a defensive standpoint in front of Silkowitz. In last Friday\u2019s stoppage-time loss to Houston, Bay FC had numbers behind the ball when Linda Ullmark\u2019s low strike from just inside the 18-yard box still found the back of the net for the win. Against Gotham, seven Bay FC players collapsed around the attack, yet Purce found a way through.<\/p>\n

The bigger picture, however, is much brighter for Silkowitz, who earned her first call-up to the USWNT senior squad in January as part of the active roster for a friendly against Paraguay. She\u2019s also garnered two call-ups to the U-23 national team since late 2025.<\/p>\n

Dahlkemper\u2019s return<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

A mere 404 days after her last appearance, Abby Dahlkemper was back on the sideline with butterflies in her stomach, preparing to step onto the field in front of her hometown crowd after welcoming her first child in February. When the 84th minute arrived, the Menlo Park native checked into the match. While she admitted it wasn\u2019t quite as easy as riding a bike, she felt ready for those 10 minutes chasing a goal and is approaching her comeback one day at a time. The moment became the loudest of the night, as fans erupted to celebrate the return of the defender, a 12-year NWSL veteran.<\/p>\n

Read more Empty San Jose tech campus once leased by eBay suffers loan default<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a really special monet for Abby tonight. You could see how much she\u2019s meant to the club,\u201d Coates said. \u201cHaving a child myself, that\u2019s not easy and obviously she\u2019s put herself in this position, so that was great to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dahlkemper reflected postgame on her appreciation for the club\u2019s support and the warm welcome back from Bay FC fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel an immense amount of gratitude. When you have a child, your whole life changes and soccer isn\u2019t everything anymore,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m just appreciative to be able to come back and step back out on the field with this amazing group of girls \u2026 hopefully, one day I can look back with my son Eli and just hopefully make him proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dahlkemper\u2019s comeback adds another chapter to a decorated career that includes two NWSL championships, four NWSL Shields, a 2027 Defender of the Year award and a World Cup title with the USWNT in 2019. Since joining Bay FC in August 2024, Dahlkemper has been a stabilizing presence, playing heavy minutes in the back in the first half of 2025. She joins five other mothers across the NWSL who have returned from maternity leave this season.<\/p>\n

Young and connected midfield<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bay FC entered its third season after an offseason of change with a clear new direction: investing in young talent. The club made a big splash in landing 20-year-old Claire Hutton, already with 20 senior team caps, and 18-year-old Alex Pfeiffer ahead of the season, and then doubled down during the June World Cup break by adding 19-year-old Fuller from Angel City. With nearly half of Coates\u2019 roster under the age of 24, Bay FC has leaned fully into building a young core with the potential to grow together.<\/p>\n

The results have not translated into a winning record just yet, but the foundation and development are beginning to show. The midfield, which struggled to find consistency and keep possession in coach Albertin Montoya\u2019s system last season, has become one of the club\u2019s biggest strengths. Fuller, Hutton and Hannah Bebar now occupy the zone as a technically sound, creative and connected trio of young players.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love our midfield. Claire and Hannah, in particular, developed a really nice relationship and are able to bounce off of each other, and Kennedy\u2019s been a player who came in and stitched those units together,\u201d Coates said of her midfield group and its evolution. \u201cI think other teams have recognized that our midfield is strong, and now we\u2019ve added different threats in our front line. We\u2019re not just a team that can play central, now we\u2019re a team that can go around opposition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Youngsters keep the pressure up on the frontline, too. Pfeiffer and 23-year-old former Cal striker Karlie Lema have been making strides in their development this season as well. Lema now has four goals in her sophomore season \u2014 and as Coates has pointed out, has grown in her tactical awareness and timely decision-making to consistently create opportunities to charge at goal.<\/p>\n

Pfeiffer also has scored two goals and recorded three assists this year. Last season, scoring was hard to come by for Bay, which finished with a league-low 26 goals. But in the Coates era, despite only 16 goals through 16 games, there have certainly been flashes of what could become of this group\u2019s attack as it develops.<\/p>\n

Read more 7 terrific Bay Area things to do this weekend, July 31-Aug. 2<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The young midfield is building connection, but finishing with goals is still a struggle for Bay FC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nBay FC midway through 2026 season: What loss to Gotham says about the team - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bay FC midway through 2026 season: What loss to Gotham says about the team - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The young midfield is building connection, but finishing with goals is still a struggle for Bay FC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-30T15:43:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5849#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5849\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Bay FC midway through 2026 season: What loss to Gotham says about the team\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-30T15:43:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5849\"},\"wordCount\":1241,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5849#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/984c097d3ecefc0a1a860a76a945ece7-scaled.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5849#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5849\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5849\",\"name\":\"Bay FC midway through 2026 season: What loss to Gotham says about the team - Next City Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5849#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5849#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/984c097d3ecefc0a1a860a76a945ece7-scaled.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-30T15:43:29+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5849#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5849\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5849#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/984c097d3ecefc0a1a860a76a945ece7-scaled.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/984c097d3ecefc0a1a860a76a945ece7-scaled.webp\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=5849#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Bay FC midway through 2026 season: What loss to Gotham says about the team\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Next City Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Bay FC midway through 2026 season: What loss to Gotham says about the team - Next City Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Bay FC midway through 2026 season: What loss to Gotham says about the team - Next City Digest","og_description":"The young midfield is building connection, but finishing with goals is still a struggle for Bay FC","og_url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849","og_site_name":"Next City Digest","article_published_time":"2026-07-30T15:43:29+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"headline":"Bay FC midway through 2026 season: What loss to Gotham says about the team","datePublished":"2026-07-30T15:43:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849"},"wordCount":1241,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/984c097d3ecefc0a1a860a76a945ece7-scaled.webp","articleSection":["Sports"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849","name":"Bay FC midway through 2026 season: What loss to Gotham says about the team - Next City Digest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/984c097d3ecefc0a1a860a76a945ece7-scaled.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-30T15:43:29+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/984c097d3ecefc0a1a860a76a945ece7-scaled.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/984c097d3ecefc0a1a860a76a945ece7-scaled.webp","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=5849#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Bay FC midway through 2026 season: What loss to Gotham says about the team"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/","name":"Next City Digest","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/nextcitydigest.com"],"url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5849"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5849\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}