NJ/NY Gotham FC has seen it all.

The original NWSL club used to consistently be among the bottom teams in the league. This year, they’re projected as one of its strongest squads. After nearly winning the Challenge Cup final last year and finishing fifth in the 2021 regular season standings, Gotham has retooled its roster to make a run at a title (or two) this season.

What stands out to defender Estelle Johnson about the club’s journey is their relationship with the players.

“I think we’re finally starting to put all the pieces together, and it’s showing just with how we’re treated more professionally now,” said Johnson, who joined the team in 2019.

Gotham now shares the RBNY Training Facility with the New York Red Bulls. But before 2020, under owners Phil and Tammy Murphy and Steven Temares, the club (then known as Sky Blue FC) came under fire over reports of inadequate housing and training conditions. They even lost top draft picks because players opted to go overseas instead of join the embattled club.

In 2021, Gotham made their debut at Red Bull Arena after playing for a decade at Rutgers’ Yurcak Field, a 5,000-seat university stadium. In their first season at the new facility, they improved from the worst attendance in the league to the fourth-best, with a 5,150 average. They have also made numerous changes to their coaching and front office staff.

“Oh my gosh, it’s been a lot,” Johnson said.

In a turning point last season, the rebranded team finished second in the Challenge Cup and reached the NWSL postseason for the first time since 2013. This year they added U.S. women’s national team players Kristie Mewis, Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris, and Japanese national team player Kumi Yokoyama. New to the ownership group are Kristin Bernert and Karen Bryant, co-founders of KB2 Sports, a consulting firm focused on driving investment and innovation in women’s sports.

“We’re finally stepping up in competing with the best clubs in the league, so it’s exciting and I foresee that it’s just going to continue getting better,” said Johnson.

Former Gotham coach Freya Coombe (2019-21) now leads Angel City FC, one of two 2022 expansion teams that have emphasized player treatment and female leadership.

The changes Coombe started implementing in New York before leaving for the ACFC job have inevitably helped with their on-field performances. While watching San Diego Wave FC and Angel City make their NWSL debuts against each other on Saturday, Johnson was “blown away” by the formations and game plans they were able to put together in such a short time.

Johnson is one of several Gotham players — including Caprice Dydasco, Imani Dorsey and Paige Monaghan — who have been with Gotham FC through the turnover of the past few years. In 2021, the defender made 19 starts and recorded an 87.4 percent passing success rate. Former Gotham goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan, now with San Diego, recently referred to Johnson as one of the two best defenders she’s ever played with.

“Estelle’s been there, done it,” said head coach Scott Parkinson. “She’s actually fabulous.”

Gotham fell 2-0 to North Carolina Courage in their opening game of the 2022 Challenge Cup, but with Mewis and Ifeoma Onumonu expected to return from injuries, they’re officially ready to turn the page Friday against the reigning NWSL champion Washington Spirit.

Jessa Braun is a contributing writer at Just Women’s Sports covering the NWSL and USWNT. Follow her on Twitter @jessabraun.

Rose Lavelle is hoping to return to the field soon. 

The 28-year-old midfielder has been sidelined with a lower leg injury since the Gold Cup in early march. Since then, she has yet to play for new club Gotham FC in the NWSL. She also missed a potential USWNT appearance at the SheBelieves Cup in April, where senior team newcomer Jaedyn Shaw saw success assuming Lavelle's role in the attacking midfield. 

At the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee media showcase on Monday, Lavelle told reporters that she’s doing well and hopes to be back soon.

"I’m doing good — I’m hoping I’ll be back in the next couple weeks," Lavelle said. "It’s frustrating to start the year off with an injury, just because I feel like you come off preseason and you’re revving to go, so it’s so annoying."

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Lavelle is still looking to compete for one of just 18 Olympic roster spots. When healthy, she ranks as one of the national team’s most trusted assets, but considering this most recent injury, her health is an obvious concern. Faced with an onslaught of experienced competitors and young talent, incoming USWNT coach Emma Hayes will have some big decisions to make when selecting the Paris-bound squad — a reality Lavelle seems to be taking in stride as she works to regain full fitness.

"We have so many special players, we have so much depth, and so many different weapons to utilize on and off the bench," Lavelle said. "Unfortunately that means really good players are going to get left off, too. And I think for all of us, it’s just about being ready for whatever role is given to us, embracing that, and looking to put it into a collective picture so that we can go into the Olympics ready to go."

Stanford has found its replacement for legendary head women's basketball coach Tara VanDerveer in associate head coach Kate Paye.

The Cardinal confirmed the hiring on Tuesday via a press release. Paye was largely expected to replace the longtime head coach, as the college mentioned they were still negotiating Paye's contract when they announced VanDerveer's retirement.

In Tuesday's statement, Paye reported that she was "humbled" to have been tapped to lead the women’s program.

"Stanford University has been a central part of my life for as long as I can remember and I am humbled to have the opportunity to lead its women’s basketball program," Paye said. "I’d first like to thank Tara, who has played such a pivotal role in my career for her friendship and guidance. It’s not what she’s done, but how she’s done it, that has had such a profound impact upon me."

A Woodside, California native, Paye played under VanDerveer from 1992 to 1995, taking home a national title her freshman year. After graduation, Paye briefly joined San Diego State as an assistant coach before making her professional debut with the ABL's Seattle Reign in 1996. After finishing her playing career with the WNBA's Seattle Storm, she joined the team’s coaching staff in 2007 and has been with the organization ever since, picking up another national title win — this time as associate head coach — in 2021. Paye's brother John played quarterback for Stanford from 1983 to 1986, while also serving as a point guard on the basketball team.

In her own response, VanDerveer said that she was "grateful" that Stanford picked Paye to follow in her stead. Last week, the decorated coach stated that this year would be her last after 38 seasons at the helm and three national titles under her belt.

"She has long been ready for this opportunity and is the perfect leader for Stanford at this time of immense change in college athletics," VanDerveer noted. "Kate was the choice for this job and I am confident she will achieve great success as head coach."

The 2024 WNBA Draft has officially concluded, leaving the newly minted rookie class facing a tough road ahead.

Only 144 roster slots are available throughout the league’s 12 teams, the reason why the players are sometimes referred to as the “144.” And Monday’s draft picks are set to join a large group of established players competing for those same roster spots, from seasoned veterans to young athletes determined to prove their value on the court.

Last year, just 15 of the league’s 36 draftees made it onto their drafting team's opening-day squad.

In reality, there are oftentimes fewer than 144 spots available, as not every team maxes out their roster. Per the league's CBA, each team roster must maintain a minimum standard of 11 players, but those lists can include players out with injuries or on other forms of leave. Players can also be assigned to short-term hardship contracts, something waived players must be prepared for at any point during the season.

Earlier this week, Laeticia Amihere — a 2022 national champion with South Carolina who currently plays for the Atlanta Dream — took to TikTok to provide some insight into the WNBA training camp process. 

"You can either get drafted on Draft Night, or you can get signed by a team," she said. "Once that happens, you go to training camp literally like two weeks later... Basically everybody's got to try out. There's 12 roster spots, and there's like 18 people at the at the trial."

@laeticiaamihere Replying to @dantavius.washington #wnba #draft ♬ original sound - Laeticia Amihere

Amihere also had an important point to make: Getting cut does not signify a player’s abilities. 

"If you get cut after training camp, that does not mean you're not good," she said. "That does not mean that player sucks, don't stop supporting that player. Literally, there's so many reasons somebody can get cut."

"If you guys look at the best players in the league, most of them have bounced around teams," she added. "And I promise you it is not a bad thing, it's just how the league is."

Things, however gradually, are changing. With Golden State's WNBA team scheduled to launch in time for the 2025 season, league expansion is just around the corner. On Monday, Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced that the league is aiming to grow to 16 teams by 2028. But by then, it might be too little too late for the generation of talent emerging from an increasingly competitive NCAA system.

Monday night’s WNBA draft added to the nationwide uptick in record-breaking women's sports viewership, pulling in 2.45 million viewers throughout the nearly two-hour broadcast and peaking at 3.09 million, according to an ESPN release. 

That number shatters the previous draft viewership record — 601,000 in 2004 — which was fueled primarily by then-No. 1 pick Diana Taurasi entering the league after UConn's historic three-peat March Madness performance.  

The 2023 WNBA draft drew 572,000 viewers, the most for any televised WNBA event since 2.74 million tuned in to NBC for a Memorial Day matchup between the New York Liberty and Houston Comets back in 2000.

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While many came to watch Caitlin Clark get drafted No. 1 overall, it’s important to note that viewership didn’t take a massive dip after the superstar shooter left the stage. The numbers show that a bulk of the audience stuck around to watch the remainder of the show, making 2024's event not just the most-viewed WNBA draft in history, but also the most-viewed WNBA program to ever air on ESPN platforms.

Draft Day's popularity is yet another sign indicating an expected rise in WNBA regular season viewership. Clark and Iowa's NCAA tournament showdown with the Chicago Sky-bound Kamilla Cardoso's South Carolina side drew a record 18.7 million to ABC's Sunday afternoon broadcast. Banking on this trend, 36 of Indiana's upcoming 40 games are set to be shown on national television. In-person ticket sales are also soaring, leading the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces to re-home their matchup with the Fever to a venue that can accommodate some 6,000 more fans.