Gotham FC’s 2021 rebrand is more than a name change.

The club, formerly known as Sky Blue FC, has come a long way since its days with toilet-less locker rooms and potholed fields.

With Gotham days away from appearing in the NWSL Challenge Cup final against the Portland Thorns, it’s hard to believe that only three years ago, the club appeared to be on the brink of implosion.

LFG. pic.twitter.com/22r6sPoVtu

— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) May 2, 2021

Timeline: A team in peril to a championship squad

2018: Sam Kerr puts Sky Blue on blast

A summer 2018 matchup between Sky Blue and the Chicago Red Stars changed the trajectory of the New Jersey-based club.

Sam Kerr, a former Sky Blue player, scored a hat trick for the Red Stars but took no joy in clobbering her former teammates.

In a postgame press conference, the Australian forward told reporters:

“I’m just going to say the girls deserve better and leave it at that. These girls are great girls. They give everything for this club and this league, and they just deserve better. I scored a hat trick, but I wasn’t myself today. I feel sick playing against these girls.”

Kerr’s suggestions spurred a flurry of reports about life inside Sky Blue, citing horrific working conditions and forcing a response from the club.

Your voice matters, and we want you to know that we hear you. Let's work together to make this better for us all.#PushForward pic.twitter.com/kXnrOGnTgt

— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) July 9, 2018

Accounts of housing insecurity, inadequate travel accommodations and decaying training facilities continued to plague the organization.

A report that Sky Blue players were using a trailer with running water as a bathroom was enough to send most fans over the edge.

According to a source close to Sky Blue, a “trailer” with running water, a bathroom, and a shower has been put at the team’s training facility in accordance what the GM told us. It seems to actually be an RV, but it’s an improvement over what they previously had. #SBFC #NWSL

— Allison (Lee) Brown (@allibecc) July 18, 2018

Winter 2019: Draftees refuse to sign with Sky Blue

Sky Blue FC hit a new low in 2019 when top draft picks Julia Ashley and Hailie Mace chose not to play for the team.

Reports exposing the club’s dire conditions had now impacted their ability to recruit talent.

Ashley and Mace both opted to start their professional careers in Sweden rather than join the embattled club.

2019: Tammy Murphy steps in and Tony Novo steps down

When Tammy Murphy, co-owner of Sky Blue and wife of New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, caught wind of the club’s untenable conditions, she decided it was time to get involved.

Shortly thereafter, Tony Novo, whom many blamed for Sky Blue’s lack of resources, stepped down as general manager.

Alyse LaHue was named interim general manager in his place. She immediately began turning the club around behind the scenes, tackling everything from the front office staff to the squad’s playing environment.

New Leadership for Sky Blue FC pic.twitter.com/gpsFC5KwTk

— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) April 9, 2019

June 2019:  Sky Blue fires Denise Reddy

The substandard conditions off the field at Sky Blue were compounded by the team’s poor performances on the field.

Head coach Denise Reddy was let go after an abysmal two seasons with the team, posting a 1-24-8 record in her tenure.

Shortly after the shake-up, Freya Coombe was named interim head coach and later permanent head coach in December 2019.

Fall 2019: Sky Blue signs with Red Bull Arena

In late 2019, Tammy Murphy announced that Sky Blue had inked a deal with Red Bull Arena for the 2020 season.

The venue upgrade signaled the team’s commitment to improving player conditions and a greater investment in the league writ large.

NEWS | New York Red Bulls and Sky Blue FC Announce New Partnership

📰 | https://t.co/99qNeILtzf#SBFC #NWSL pic.twitter.com/cwiH9epuP7

— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) November 18, 2019

Spring 2021: A new era

After making a run to the semifinals during the 2020 Challenge Cup, Sky Blue appeared to be on the upswing.

In April, that came in the form of a rebrand and name change. As NJ/NY Gotham FC, the team expanded into the New York market just in time for the 2021 Challenge Cup.

📍HOME. pic.twitter.com/pHq4MDn5mY

— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) April 6, 2021

Challenge Cup 2021: Birth of a contender

Gotham got off to a hot start in in their first competitive games under the new name, defeating Orlando and North Carolina.

Then mid-tournament, Gotham added a big name to their roster. Long Island native Allie Long returned to her hometown team in May in a trade from the OL Reign.

Despite going scoreless in their last two games, Gotham quieted any remaining detractors by securing a trip to the NWSL Challenge Cup championship game without dropping a match all tournament.

Flying into the final 🦇

See you next week, @GothamFC 🏆#CC21 pic.twitter.com/ncvunoVYv9

— National Women's Soccer League (@NWSL) May 2, 2021

On May 8, Gotham FC will play for the Challenge Cup title, a feat unimaginable only a few short years ago.

The club’s tale of undervalued underdog turned East Division champs is one of horror and hope.

Gotham’s meteoric rise underlines the vital role investment plays in the NWSL and the game more broadly — a lesson that will loom large as the league addresses critical issues, like impending salary negotiations.

Gotham FC star Midge Purce put it best with her recent remarks at a White House event.

“You would never expect a flower to bloom without water,” she said. “But women in sport who have been denied water, sunlight, and soil are somehow expected to blossom.”

Reigning WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson had herself a weekend, adding 2025 All-WNBA First Team honors to her stacked resume mere hours before winning her third league title on Friday.

Joining the Las Vegas Aces star was fellow unanimous First Team selectee Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), as the pair logged their fourth and third straight years, respectively, on the list.

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, Atlanta Dream guard Allisha Gray, and Indiana Fever guard Kelsey Mitchell also earned spots on the elite roster.

Headlining the 2025 Second Team is Seattle Storm forward and eight-time All-WNBA selectee Nneka Ogwumike alongside Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston and a trio of standout guards: the Aces' Jackie Young, the New York Liberty's Sabrina Ionescu, and the Dallas Wings' Paige Bueckers.

The 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year isn't the only All-WNBA debutant, with Gray, Mitchell, and Boston joining Bueckers in earning their first-ever league-wide nods.

All WNBA athletes, regardless of their position, are eligible for All-WNBA selection, and voting media members determine the honorary squads.

Players earn five points for each First Team vote and three for every Second Team tally, with the league's top five players via points snagging the First roster and the next five featuring as the Second squad.

Along with the All-WNBA titles, this year's honorees are also cashing in, with each member of the 2025 First Team snagging a $10,300 bonus while the Second Team players take home checks for $5,150 each.

Seattle Reign captain Lauren Barnes is calling it a career, as one of the last remaining original members of the NWSL announced plans to retire from professional soccer at the end of the 2025 season.

"From day one, Seattle has been home," the 13-year Reign alum said in Monday's club statement. "I've grown up here — as a player, a leader, and a person. I'm incredibly proud of what we've built and the culture we've created.... This chapter of my life has been a dream."

"Lu has been the heartbeat of this club since the very beginning," added Reign head coach Laura Harvey. "She has been the glue that has held us together through the ups and the downs. Everything about who we are, whether it's our standards, our values or our resilience, Lu has her fingerprints on it all."

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Barnes exits the pitch with more caps and minutes played than any other athlete in league history, with the standout defender also helping to anchor the Reign's backline to the tune of three NWSL Shields (2014, 2015, and 2022).

Those accolades, however, are the least of what makes Barnes exceptional, according to Seattle GM Lesle Gallimore.

"What makes Lu so rare isn't just her longevity or her records, it's her humanity," said Gallimore. "She's been a leader, a role model, and a constant source of strength for this club and the community. You simply don't see players spend their entire career in one city anymore, and that loyalty speaks volumes about who she is and what Seattle means to her."

The 36-year-old isn't the only league veteran hanging up her NWSL boots this year, with Kansas City Current forward Kristen Hamilton, Angel City defender Ali Riley, Orlando Pride midfielder Morgan Gautrat, and Barnes' Seattle teammate Veronica Latsko also set to retire.

World No. 3 Coco Gauff won her 11th career WTA title over the weekend, taking down fellow US star No. 5 Jessica Pegula 6-4, 7-5 to become the 2025 Wuhan Open champion on Sunday.

With the victory, Gauff also is the first US player to lift the Wuhan Open trophy since Venus Williams in 2015.

Gauff now holds a perfect 9-0 record in hardcourt tournament finals, lifting her first WTA 1000 trophy of 2025 and claiming her second title of the year alongside her French Open victory in June — all without needing a single third set throughout her five-match run in Wuhan.

"Winning every match in straight sets, I don't know if I've done that before on a title run," the 21-year-old said afterwards. "I just felt like I was really proud of what I accomplished this week, regardless of the result today."

Despite the Sunday stumble, Pegula also saw significant success at the tournament, handing world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka — who won the last three editions of the competition — her first-ever loss in Wuhan on Saturday.

Even more, Pegula clinched the three-set semifinal by snapping Sabalenka's dominant streak of winning 19 straight tiebreaks.

Overall, the weekend furthered a dominant 2025 WTA campaign for US tennis stars, with a US-based athlete featuring in every Grand Slam final this year.

US women also top the current WTA rankings, with Gauff and Pegula joined by No. 4 Amanda Anisimova and No. 7 Madison Keys in the sport's Top 10.

Additionally, those four contenders have all booked spots in the 2025 WTA Finals, guaranteeing that half of the eight-player field will hail from the States when the tennis season's finale kicks off next month.

The South Carolina Gamecocks are officially without their star Chloe Kitts, with the university announcing Monday that the forward will miss the 2025/26 NCAA basketball season after sustaining an ACL tear to her right knee.

"We hate this for Chloe, who has worked incredibly hard to become the best version of herself on the court this season," South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley said in a team statement.

"While this isn't how I hoped my senior season would go, I'm trusting God's timing and purpose," Kitts wrote in a social media post on Monday. "I'll continue to lead, support, and push my team from the sidelines. We have big things ahead!"

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A starter for the the Gamecocks since the 2023/24 NCAA season, Kitts helped South Carolina bring home a national championship in 2024.

Last season, the then-junior earned an All-America honorable mention for a season in which she averaged 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game — both career highs.

Kitts was particularly potent in the 2025 postseason, snagging the MVP title at both the SEC tournament and in South Carolina's NCAA regional en route to a national runner-up finish for the Gamecocks.

Though South Carolina is now gearing up for the 2025/26 NCAA season without their leader in the paint, the Gamecocks are perhaps uniquely capable of overcoming a big-name loss like Kitts, with the team boasting a full 10-player rotation and one of the deepest collegiate benches in recent years.

"[Kitts's] teammates are capable of stepping up, and I know that her competitive fire and tenacity will be felt from the sidelines as she pours what she can into them to ensure our team's success," said Staley.