Bay FC swing back into action on the fringe of NWSL playoff race

San Francisco Chronicle​

a day ago

After a monthlong break for the NWSL schedule, Bay FC returns to action Saturday night at PayPal Park.
As the second-year team seeks a second consecutive playoff berth, the home matchup against the Houston Dash could give them a much needed boost — Bay FC sits just three points behind Gotham for the league's final playoff spot.
'I believe that we've played some really good football in our possession and our shot creation — I mean, it's been so close. The only difference is now we've got to finish our chances,' said head coach Albertin Montoya. 'In this last month here, in our training sessions, our finishing has been better than it has been all season, and we'd love to carry that over.'
Bay FC enters the second half still searching for consistency in the attack. Through 13 matches, Bay FC (4-6-3) has 15 points, putting them in a tie for 10th place with Angel City — four points ahead of the Dash. Bay FC's 14 goals rank them 11th in the 14-team league in scoring, despite boasting high-profile talents like Racheal Kundananji and promising rookie Karlie Lema.
Kundananji (Zambia) returned to the Bay Area from the Women's Africa Cup of Nations this past week, where she scored three goals before the team fell in the quarterfinal stage in a 5-0 loss to Nigeria. Asisat Oshoala appeared in four matches for Nigeria, scoring one goal to help her team ultimately take home the title.
'We're super proud of both of them, what they do for our club, but also represent on the international stage,' said forward Penelope Hocking. 'They're two incredible players, two incredible teammates, and we're just really thankful to have them here. The games have been on in the hub so it's been really fun to get to watch them and celebrate them.'
In the absence of Kundananji and Oshoala, a few players caught Montoya's eye during the two friendly matches Bay FC played during the summer break. Forward Catherine Paulson and defender Maddie Moreau got starts; Moreau's assist to Hocking led to the game-tying goal in Bay FC's 1-1 draw on July 19 against Angel City FC in the match's 57th minute.
Kundananji and Oshoala are both expected back in the starting lineup, but Montoya didn't confirm whether that would immediately be the case at practice earlier this week.
'There are some players that haven't been with us, and obviously they want to be in that starting lineup this week,' Montoya said. 'Then there's players that have proved themselves and have done very well over this last month, and they also want to see themselves on that sheet when we announce the starting lineup, so I'm expecting these players to get after it from start to finish this week.'
The club will look to see whether midseason additions and internal development can right the ship. Bay FC recently signed 19-year-old Onyeka Gamero from FC Barcelona, a high-upside winger currently recovering from an ACL injury. Gamero is expected to be a long-term offensive weapon — one that is particularly necessary given Bay FC's troubles putting the ball in the back of the net. But Gamero's recovery timetable has not been disclosed.
The Dash (3-8-2) are in a transition phase themselves, led by first-year head coach Fabrice Gautrat and bolstered by the addition of veteran defender Christen Westphal in December 2024. Like Bay FC, Houston has struggled to find cohesion on both sides of the field. In their first matchup on May 24, the teams played to a 2-2 draw in Houston.
Montoya observed, 'Playing Houston for the second time and learning from our last game, it was an exciting game with quite a few goals, and now playing in front of (our) fans, I think it will give us that little extra edge that has always helped us in getting the three points.'