Gotham makes history with first NWSL Shield, but its sights are already set on more
· Yahoo Sports
HARRISON, N.J. – One by one, the players of Gotham FC made their way onto the stage.
The team had just danced their way across the Sports Illustrated Stadium pitch for 90 minutes, cruising past the Utah Royals on Sunday with a decisive 2-0 win to clinch the club’s first NWSL Shield. It was the trophy that long alluded Gotham, but tonight, it was theirs.
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Rose Lavelle was first on stage, then Denise O’Sullivan. Jaelin Howell appeared on stage in a walking boot after injuring her right ankle in the match. Then came Guro Reiten, who opened the scoring against Utah. The team kept filing in, clapping along with fans as their cheers echoed in the stadium.
That roar grew louder as co-captains Tierna Davidson and Mandy Freeman hoisted the Shield and fireworks exploded around them. History was made.
“We showed a lot of resilience this season,” Davidson said after the game, repeating much of what she told the 11,209 fans in attendance. “We played soccer in a lot of countries. We started (on) January 2 for preseason, so it’s been a very long year. It has taken every single person on our roster to get to this point. So, we’re not done yet, but we’re very proud of the group.”
It was not lost on Gotham the significance of Sunday night’s win, especially after a recent few weeks impacted by injuries. The team already secured a playoff berth weeks prior and was guaranteed at least one home quarterfinal next week, but a win secured their legacy.
“(It is) definitely a historic day for the club,” said head coach Juan Carlos Amorós. “At least for a week, we are champions of the (NWSL) Championship, champions of the Challenge Cup and now we are champions of the Shield, which means, basically, we’re winners of everything. And we’re gonna try to win the Championship again.”
Gotham ends the regular season with an 18-5-7 record and 61 points, entering the playoffs as the No. 1 seed for the first time. The two-time NWSL champions have maintained their place at the top of the league since August and entered Sunday with a three-point cushion above No. 2 San Diego Wave. All Gotham needed was a win to guarantee the Shield.
This moment for Gotham has been a long time coming. The club has slowly built itself into a regular post-season contender after winning their first NWSL Championship in 2023. It was a major turnaround after ending the 2022 season at the bottom of the league.
The club has regularly attracted some of the best players in the world since their championship season in 2023, which coincided with Amorós’ first year as coach. The team tends to balance experienced, big-name players with younger or more up-and-coming stars in which the club sees potential. This year’s starting roster has rotated heavily, with the team forced to adjust due to season-ending injuries scattered across the year. Rookie forward Jordynn Dudley, who quickly became a key figure in Gotham’s attack, was placed on the season-ending injury list last month for a foot fracture.
“We always talk about (how) it takes a whole team,” said Yael Averbuch West, Gotham’s president of soccer operations. “Not just the players that go on the field, (but also) the players who don’t get to go on the field, the players who are out recovering from injury. The staff who you see on the bench. The staff behind the scenes. The ownership of the club. Every little percent really adds up, and when the margins are so small, it’s the things that no one sees, the conversation in the locker room with a player who maybe doesn’t see the field talking to someone who ends up scoring a winning goal. All of those things really count.”
Reiten opened the scoring for Gotham in the 9th minute, marking her second goal since joining the team in March. She was in the right position to get a foot on a deflected ball after great work from Midge Purce, who carried the ball up the right side before driving it towards the goal. Reiten, who has recorded six assists this year, tapped the ball in before running to the corner and screaming in celebration.
Gotham maintained their momentum against a tough Utah side, despite a massive blow in the 24th minute when Howell suffered a right ankle injury. She was replaced by fellow midfielder Savannah McCaskill, who quickly got to grips with the pace of the game. It was unclear on Sunday the extent of Howell’s injury.
Howell, another of the team’s captains, has played the most minutes for Gotham this year, serving as an unsung hero in the center of the pitch. As a central defensive midfielder, she helps anchor the back line while helping transition the ball up the field. Her potential absence leaves big shoes to fill.
Gotham’s victory was sealed in the 80th minute when Jaedyn Shaw slipped the ball past Utah goalkeeper Mandy McGlynn after another assist from Purce. Shaw and Lavelle made their returns from injury in the second half, and as the team now shifts its focus to Seattle, managing player availabilities to carry the team through the post-season will be vital.
“When we came to this club, I kind of convinced (lead assistant head coach) Shaun (Harris) at that time (that) we had the plan to build something special long-term,” Amorós said. “It wasn’t always about just winning one thing. It was about building our legacy, and, at some point, we will be gone. That’s the reality of life, and we just want to make sure that they really remember us for changing the history of the club, and the more we can change it, the better.
“If we can make more history, fine, but, at the moment, we don’t think of that. At this point, what we think is how to beat Seattle already. That’s the mentality.”
Regardless of what happens next, this Gotham team will be remembered as the first squad to clinch the Shield while becoming a perennial contender in the NWSL.
“We’ve talked all year about really wanting to be in this position to be able to compete for a Shield,” said Freeman, the club’s longest-tenured player. “Winning the championship last year wasn’t good enough. We have this thing of ‘from last to first, but we want to finish ‘first to first.’”
Players followed the ceremony on the makeshift stage with a more intimate moment between the team and their loudest fans, the Cloud 9 supporters group in Section 101. Davidson hoisted the Shield in their direction, while some players, such as midfielder Taryn Torres, led chants by banging on the supporters’ drums. There was dancing, smiles and the vibes were high.
“We couldn’t have had a better night,” Davidson said. “Being able to win the Shield at home in front of our fans, in front of Cloud 9. They’re always there supporting us at home and on the road. We so appreciate the energy they bring and the confidence they give us. We’re very happy and excited to go over there and celebrate it with them. It’s ours, as well as it is theirs.”
On Sunday, they will have the chance to do it all over again.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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