When San Diego's home match against the Washington Spirit ended in a 0-0 draw on June 22nd, the NWSL officially pressed pause on the regular season, entering an extended summer break as international tournaments kicked off around the world.
And while the US club league has dimmed its lights before — most recently during the 2024 Paris Olympics — this is the first year it's ever stopped play to accommodate major regional competitions like Copa América, WAFCON, and UEFA Women's Euro 2025.
Why the new approach? The league's global presence has never been stronger. And that's not just because high-profile players like Naomi Girma and Crystal Dunn swapped their NWSL jerseys for European kits earlier this year. It goes the other way, too. Once an assumed stronghold for homegrown talent, the NWSL has diversified its ranks, with top players heading overseas this window.
US broadcasters buy into growing Euros interest
No event has showcased this shift greater than the European Championship. The tournament was once siloed away from the average Stateside soccer fan. But this year, 18 NWSL players representing 12 countries are Switzerland-bound — three-times the number playing in England just three years ago.
And fans are ready to dig in. The 2025 Euros will be the most accessible in history, with FOX Sports recently doubling down on broadcasting the competition in the US.
The network has committed to 31 matches, including 19 games on linear TV and every knockout round match. It will also provide pre- and post-game analysis, aiming to develop a major market player while riding out the sport's popularity boom.
With increased visibility and plenty of familiar faces, NWSL fans are set to become Euro 2025's prime audience. And for players, showcasing the league's impact shapes the perception of football in the US, allowing the NWSL the opportunity to strengthen its reputation despite never taking the pitch this July.
Euros stars say perceptions of the NWSL are shifting
Only one NWSL player featured on England's 2022 Euros-winning roster. That was Houston forward-turned-defender Rachel Daly, before she returned to the WSL and retired from international play.
That number tripled in 2025, after Gotham FC defender Jess Carter, Spirit defender Esme Morgan, and Pride goalkeeper Anna Moorhouse were called up to the Lionesses's title defense in Switzerland.
It's not Carter's first Euros, but this will be the first year she joins from an NWSL team. An England mainstay since her 2017 senior debut, she said she never felt like a move to the US would jeopardize her national team standing. Just so long as her performance stayed consistent.
"People were probably apprehensive about coming here before, because it's so far away from your family and friends," Carter told Just Women's Sports. "But also because the NWSL was traditionally known as just a transitional league. And to a lot of people in Europe, it wasn't technical enough."
Carter isn't alone in her assessment. Both Morgan and Moorhouse told JWS they were familiar with the NWSL's reputation as a "kick and run" league. Though that stereotype didn't match their experiences on the ground.
"Most [NWSL] teams are trying to play possession-based football, albeit a little more direct than Europe," Morgan said. "I think that's far more exciting to be a part of, and also more challenging as a defender because there are such fast transitions."
"The league is changing here in the US," echoed Carter, who departed Chelsea for Gotham in 2024. "It's becoming more technical."
NWSL play helped Morgan secure her spot with England
That hybrid style — plus more starting opportunities — have bolstered Morgan's status with England. Coach Sarina Wiegman already knew the Manchester City product as a powerful line-breaker on the ball. And her ability to wear down the low block while holding the lion's share of possession has only improved.
"I felt confident coming here," she continued. "As long as I continued to work on the things that I wanted to improve, and every weekend was putting in good performances for the Spirit, that would be enough to put me in the running for selection."
The NWSL's speed has also elevated her play. "[Wiegman] has spoken to me the last couple of times about being really pleased with what I've been able to do, in terms of being a little bit more aggressive, proactive, physical in my duels, and winning aerial balls," she said. "I've developed so much in that space since playing in America."
Both Morgan and Carter competed with England at the 2023 World Cup, 30-year-old Moorehouse is gearing up for her first major tournament with the national team. And coming from an Orlando side stacked with international talent — namely Brazil legend Marta and Zambia superstar Barbra Banda, among others — the goalie credited her NWSL team for keeping her on her toes every day.
"Marta humbles me on a daily basis, I'm not gonna lie," she laughed. "To see that day in-day out, it's only for the better. It's only going to improve my game."
Summer NWSL schedule benefits Euros-bound players
As coveted national team roster spots reflect both consistency and form, NWSL players have a quiet advantage. Thanks to the summer NWSL schedule, they're guaranteed to be completely match-fit going into any major tournament.
That the NWSL runs opposite to the more traditional fall-to-spring European setup has sometimes been a point of tension overseas. This was especially true in past years, when the league did not suspend regular-season play for more than a weekend or two during longer international windows. That practice forced previous Euros competitors to choose between club and country.
This year, however, players view the cross-conditioning to be as much of an asset as an anticipated challenge when they return to finish out the season.
"I spoke to quite a few of the US girls in the past about the fact that the summer schedule might have helped their performance in international tournaments," said Morgan, pointing out the NWSL-heavy USWNT's major tournament success.
"I feel like I'm peaking at the right time, going into the tournament in midseason," echoed Moorhouse, who is set to serve as backup to Chelsea goalkeeper and presumptive England starter Hannah Hampton.
Learning to balance club and country
Still, there are downsides. It's not always easy to travel in and out of market ahead of a big international opportunity, but each player finds their own way to stay on top of whichever task is in front of them, whether at home or abroad.
Sometimes that divide between club and country is literal. "We have a [NWSL] team app where we have communication," Gotham and Germany goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger told media after her Euros call-up. "I was like, 'Look, if you need something, you have to text me on WhatsApp. Because this app is not working for me when I'm at the international break, and the same way around.'"
For Carter, the NWSL's schedule helps her compartmentalize, keeping her laser-focused on both individual and team goals.
"I'm someone that either is all in or all off," she explained. "I've got to make sure that I'm still eating right, training right, when all I want to do is sit by the beach and have an ice cream."
"I want fans to fall in love with women's football even more"
Carter and Berger aren't the only Gotham standouts packing their passports this month. Star forward Esther González is also committed to play for the always-dangerous Spanish national team. Fellow forward Jéssica Silva will represent Portugal and recent signing Josefine Hasbo is set to join Denmark. And the excitement is palpable, both on and off the pitch.
"It's really great to see that our fans get to support us even whilst we're not at Gotham. Because they're invested in us as people, not just Gotham," says Carter. "I want fans to fall in love with women's football even more, regardless of where it's being played."
As for Morgan, she could be battling against the Spirit's newest signing, Italy's Sofia Cantore. The rest of their teammates will definitely be watching from home — along with a very special guest.
Before Morgan left, her teammates assured her they would be up in the morning cheering her on. "And mak[ing] my kitten watch too, which is very cute," she added.
She said she likes imagining NWSL fans following their favorite club players through the tournament, staying engaged in the game even as the league takes a break.
Encouraging NWSL fans to watch the 2025 Euros
Moorhouse echoed Morgan's hope that the Euros will allow US fans to continue weaving women's football into their lives during the downtime.
"In the US, when I get up on a Saturday morning, all the games are on," she said, referencing the time change. "To me, that's so cool. I'm eating my breakfast, drinking my coffee, and I've just got football on the telly."
"Go and get your breakfast," she urged. "Get your pancakes. And watch some good football."
The North Carolina Courage earned their first winning results of the 2025 NWSL season in high-scoring style, when a last-gasp goal by attacker Ashley Sanchez handed the previously undefeated Kansas City Current their first loss on Saturday.
The Courage trailed Kansas City 2-1 just before the end of regulation, after goals from Haley Hopkins and Bia Zaneratto put the Current in the lead.
Center back Kaleigh Kurtz's 90th-minute equalizer flipped the script for the Courage, before Sanchez buried the closer three minutes later in second-half stoppage time.
The comeback victory boosted the formerly last-place Courage to No. 11 in the standings, while the league-leading Current's grip on No. 1 is loosening as they pull level in points with No. 2 Orlando.
Gotham caps roller-coaster week with win over Washington
Elsewhere on Saturday, No. 4 Gotham downed East Coast rivals No. 3 Washington 3-0, solidifying their spot in the NWSL's top five.
The victory was buoyed by a brace from Golden Boot-leader Esther González, whose seven season goals have all come in the last four matches — tying the NWSL record for most goals scored in a four-game span.
Still at the start of her third season with the NJ/NY side, the 32-year-old has already become the team's second all-time leading scorer, passing both Carli Lloyd and Midge Purce with her 18th Gotham goal on Saturday.
That weekend win capped off a crowded three-match week for the Bats. Before securing their multi-goal victory over DC, Gotham first beat Angel City 4-0 the previous Friday, then fell 4-1 to Portland last Tuesday.
"This was one of the proudest moments for us as a team and as a club," Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said after Saturday's match. "I couldn't be prouder of the players. I think they've been outstanding the whole week."
As for injury-riddled Washington, their performance wasn't a total loss, as 2024 Rookie of the Year Croix Bethune returned to the pitch for the first time since tearing her meniscus shortly after winning Olympic gold with the USWNT last summer.
"I do feel like I'm about 90%," Bethune told reporters after the match. "I had a hip/quad situation — I feel like that gave me a little bit more time to get stronger for my knee and just make sure I'm overall 100%."
While the Spirit continue dealing with an onslaught of injuries, Gotham — now just one point behind Washington in the standings — is steadily creeping in on the 2024 NWSL Championship runners-up's third-place spot.
Sixth NWSL matchday fueled by high-scoring results
Saturday's high-scoring tally fit right in with the rest of the NWSL, with the league's weekend slate delivering a high-octane 24 goals across its seven matches.
Defending champion Orlando secured a three-point result with a 3-2 comeback win over the visiting No. 9 Angel City, while the last-place Chicago Stars suffered a 3-0 home defeat at the hands of No. 5 San Diego.
However, it was No. 6 Portland and No. 12 Louisville that produced the most dramatic scoreline of the season's sixth matchday, settling for a 3-3 Sunday draw after the Thorns converted two penalty kicks.
"This is just another example of how good this league is, and how you literally cannot relax even for a second regardless of who you play and where you play them," said Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski, summing up a strong showing across the NWSL.
On Monday, Gotham FC beat Seattle 2-0, snapping the Reign's seven-game NWSL unbeaten streak behind goals from midfielder Delanie Sheehan and striker Esther González.
The road win saw Gotham leapfrog Kansas City to claim third place in the standings — prime positioning as NY/NJ stares down a second-straight NWSL championship.
Seattle, on the other hand, sits in 11th place with only six matches left. The Reign will need to rack up as many wins as possible to keep their postseason dreams alive.
Rodman ups the celly game in the NWSL
In lighter NWSL news, Washington star Trinity Rodman hit her second NBA-inspired celly of the season on Sunday.
After launching a rocket to secure the Spirit's 3-0 win over Houston, Rodman dropped to the pitch, curled up, closed her eyes, and laid her head on her hands in a nod to Steph Curry's signature "night, night" action.
The move followed last week's slam dunk celly. After netting an equalizer, Rodman leapt into the air while sprinting toward new Spirit investor and NBA legend, Magic Johnson.
LaBonta's NWSL cellies give Rodman stiff competition
While iconic celebrations have become part of the NWSL's DNA, Rodman’s main competitor in this season's top celly race is Kansas City’s Lo’eau LaBonta.
The midfielder’s 2024 highlights include mirroring gymnast Simone Biles’s Olympic floor routine, using the ball as a baby bump, and recreating the signature lift from Dirty Dancing.
Christen Press believes that the NWSL is one of the most entertaining leagues in the world.
On the latest episode of The RE-CAP Show, Press discusses the action in the NWSL Championship with co-host Tobin Heath. Gotham FC held off OL Reign 2-1 on Nov. 11 to win their first championship and send Ali Krieger off into retirement on a high note.
“I asked for this match to showcase the NWSL at its best,” said Press, a two-time World Cup champion with the U.S. women’s national team. “And say what you will about the NWSL, the style of play, transition, yada yada — I think it’s the most entertaining league in the world.
“It’s open, it’s energetic, and there’s tons of goals, and I think we got the NWSL at its best during this final match.”
This comes as debate has gone on about which is better: European leagues or the NWSL. Gotham FC forward and World Cup champion Esther González of Spain praised the NWSL for its level of play.
“One of the biggest differences with the Spanish League, which is a great league, is that here all the games, absolutely all of them, are like a Champions League game, at the highest level,” she said after the championship game. “In Spain, there are some games that you can win four or five to zero, that your physical wear and tear is normal, that you have everything under control.
“Here, every game is like playing against Barça, which is the best team in the Spanish League: Your level has to be the maximum, your physical demand is the maximum, and that happens weekend after weekend.”
But others, like USWNT star Lindsey Horan, have opted for Europe and the Champions League. USWNT teammates Mia Fishel and Catarina Macario are also overseas, playing for Chelsea, whose coach Emma Hayes was just announced as the next manager of the USWNT.
And Horan would like to see more USWNT players head overseas to get acquainted with different styles of play.
“I’ve heard of [American] players wanting to [move to Europe],” Horan told Pro Soccer Wire. “Obviously, it’s comfortable in the NWSL and I won’t take anything away from the league, but for me, [playing abroad] has always been a growing point in my career. When I went to PSG, it was massive for me and then coming back to Lyon was even a bigger jump. I get to play with some of the best international players in the world.”
“It’s not a knock on the NWSL, but you’re just not going and playing in the Champions League,” she continued. “That’s something that I missed out on when I was at Portland because it’s just insane.”
SAN DIEGO — After lifting the 2023 NWSL trophy on Saturday, no one registered more giddy surprise over their accomplishment than NJ/NY Gotham FC’s players. The club had just put the final stamp on their “worst to first” narrative, a term that retiring legend Ali Krieger said began almost as a joke before becoming the team’s reality.
“In preseason, we were like, ‘We have to go worst to first,’” she told the media after Gotham’s 2-1 win over OL Reign. “And we were kind of laughing at first, because we’re like, oh my god, we’re really going to do it.”
The NWSL playoffs are an American construct of modern soccer, infusing the chaos of knockout soccer into a system that historically rewards steady consistency over the excitement of a few moments of brilliance.
After finishing 2022 in the basement of the NWSL standings, Gotham proved to be stunningly resilient in the 2023 playoffs. They held clean sheets when they could, scored goals when they had to, and saved some of their best collective play for the game that mattered the most.
No one would accuse Gotham of crashing the party, but contending for an NWSL Championship used to be something of a perennial experience. Before the playoffs were expanded in 2021, Portland, Seattle, North Carolina and the Chicago Red Stars tended to duke it out in the postseason, sometimes flanked by the old FC Kansas City teams or North Carolina’s predecessors, the Western New York Flash.
More often than not, North Carolina/Western New York and Portland made it the farthest, swapping title wins from 2016-19. The winner of the playoffs didn’t always reflect the strongest regular season squad (the “Shield Curse” legend didn’t grow out of nowhere), but fans became used to familiar faces taking part in the trophy lift even as the league’s parity shined in other areas.
While teams from that era still loom large over the playoff picture, the suspended 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic ultimately proved to be the end of that dynasty era. It was followed by a season of turmoil due to investigations in widespread abuse, forcing front office turnover and, in some cases, club sales.
The 2021 season also launched the six-team playoff structure, giving quarterfinalists a chance to build true momentum through the postseason. The Washington Spirit felt like the first of a new class of champions in 2021, who came together at just the right time after an up-and-down regular season.
If the Spirit nudged the door open, then Gotham FC kicked it off its hinges with their 2023 championship win. The team colloquially known as “the Bats” is the first No. 6 seed to win an NWSL Championship.
“We squeaked into playoffs and made it all the way,” Championship MVP Midge Purce said after the game, summing up Gotham’s Cinderella story.
But now that the confetti has been swept up, and the free agency cycle is once again in full swing, two questions linger: Can Gotham replicate their success next year, and can the playbook for their turnaround be replicated by other teams?
To answer both questions, it’s necessary to look at how the Bats achieved one of the most impressive season comebacks in league history. That process started with the hiring of Juan Carlos Amorós, who communicated his style of play to the team’s leaders from Day 1 and received full-team buy-in in return.
Gotham general manager Yael Averbuch then oversaw an excellent 2023 draft week, during which the club traded for U.S. women’s national team forward Lynn Williams and 2022 NWSL champion Yazmeen Ryan, as well as selected future Rookie of the Year Jenna Nighswonger. The team also did well in free agency, signing 2021 NWSL champion Kelley O’Hara and 2022 champion Abby Smith.
With the additions of Williams, O’Hara, Ryan and Smith, Gotham suddenly had a lot of championship experience in their starting XI. The club didn’t sit idle during the midseason transfer window either, signing Spanish players Esther González and Maitane López, both of whom started in the 2023 title game. They also signed Katie Stengel, first on loan and then by permanent transfer. The forward came in off the bench in the semifinal to score a rocket and lead Gotham to their first championship game.
That much change in one year was warranted after the team’s 2022 results, but there was no guarantee of immediate success with that many new personalities in the locker room. Gotham’s players, however, found ways to connect quickly, relying on shared histories and a desire to win.
“I think the thing is, a lot of us have known each other for years,” Purce said during NWSL Championship week.
“I did U-17s with Ify [Onumonu] and Mandy [Freeman], I lived with Ify for a while. I’ve known Delaney [Sheehan] for a long time. Ali Krieger gave me my high school award. Allie Long was one of the first people to ever talk to me at national team camp,” she continued. “So I think there’s a lot of crossover through a lot of the age groups, and then we have a lot of veterans. I think we have a really strong leadership core that knows how to win, and I think that’s been really indispensable.”
González and Williams, proven winners, scored the two goals to earn Gotham the title, but it was Purce who facilitated the team’s biggest moments by notching both assists. For one brilliant 90-minute period, the team’s past and present formed an unbeatable force. Longtime Gotham backup keeper Amanda Haught once again stood strong against an onslaught from OL Reign, and Krieger played some of the best soccer of her life in the final matches of her career.
On another level today. 🤯
— NJ/NY Gotham FC (@GothamFC) November 12, 2023
Take a bow, @100Purcent. pic.twitter.com/oJ9sPq1FHy
Other teams will have to be similarly aggressive and good judges of player character to replicate Gotham’s accomplishments. It’s not always easy to handpick the personalities that will be entering your locker room, or know how players with greater seniority will process sweeping changes.
The Bats got that mix exactly right this year, but as is the case in sports, they will be presented with similar decisions to make for 2024. Many players considered important leaders for the team, including goalkeeper Michelle Betos and midfielder McCall Zerboni, are closer to the ends of their careers than the beginning. They also have former starters now coming off the bench, like Onumonu, who might be searching for starting opportunities elsewhere.
The club will also be dealing with one of the best problems they could have — becoming a well-regarded destination. This year’s free agency period holds top talent, including three-time NWSL champions Crystal Dunn and Becky Sauerbrunn. If Gotham wants to replenish their roster with even more winning talent, they’ll have the opportunity.
But if Gotham followed in the footsteps of the 2021 Washington Spirit by catching fire at exactly the right time to launch themselves to unprecedented success, they’ll want to avoid coming back down. The Spirit have yet to return to the playoffs since their championship win, despite consistent investment in growing their front-office infrastructure.
Getting to the top is hard, but staying there is harder. Averbuch and Amorós will have to stay vigilant to keep their club from being remembered as a one-hit wonder.
Claire Watkins is a Staff Writer at Just Women’s Sports. Follow her on Twitter @ScoutRipley.
Esther González always dreamt of playing in the United States. Now, she’s not only made that dream come true, but she’s also a NWSL champion.
González signed with Gotham FC after winning the 2023 World Cup with Spain. And since then, the 30-year-old forward has helped the team to its first NWSL championship, scoring the title-winning goal on a header in Saturday’s final.
She predicted the goal to Spanish outlet AS ahead of the championship game.
“Yes always,” she said in Spanish when asked if she saw herself scoring in the final. “In my head, I only want to score goals, whatever the match, in training. Of course I see myself scoring in the final. I know I’m going to have a chance, I just have to make it.”
González has settled in well to the NWSL, becoming just the second player since 2015 to score a brace in one of her first two league appearances.
She also knows that she is in a league “where I can bring out my maximum potential,” and following the game she told Marta Griñan of AS that the level of competition in the NWSL is much higher than in La Liga.
“One of the biggest differences with the Spanish league, which is a great league, is that here (in the NWSL) all the games, absolutely all of them, are like a Champions League game at the highest level,” she said. “In Spain, there are some games that you can win four or five to zero, that your physical wear and tear is normal, that you have everything under control.
“Here every game is like playing against Barça, which is the best team in the Spanish League: Your level has to be the maximum, your physical demand is the maximum, and that happens weekend after weekend.”
Gotham FC’s Midge Purce juked one OL Reign defender by the sideline and another by the goal box. She charged into the box with the ball on her foot and with her team outnumbered by the cage.
As Purce looked up to pass, Lynn Williams sprinted into the box just in front of the net. Williams tapped the ball from Purce into the net to open the scoring in the NWSL Championship, becoming the second player in NWSL history to contribute a goal in three different championship matches.
The early scoring didn’t stop there, as Gotham carried a 2-1 lead over OL Reign into halftime at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. And despite a frantic end to the match, that would stand as the final score, giving the Gotham its first title in franchise history.
.@100Purcent ➡️ @lynnraenie ⚡️@GothamFC takes the lead in the #NWSLChampionship! pic.twitter.com/vMHj5W5AOh
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 12, 2023
Four minutes after Williams’ opening tally, OL Reign midfielder Rose Lavelle broke through a line of white-clad defenders and booted a breakaway goal for the equalizer.
.@roselavelle takes advantage of the space in front of her and pulls @OLReign level again! 👊#NWSLChampionship pic.twitter.com/xdmU92eJvP
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 12, 2023
Purce, though, did not let her team go to the locker room tied. In the second minute of first-half stoppage time, the Gotham FC forward loosed a corner kick high into the goal box. The ball curved toward the front of the net in the air and Esther González jumped to meet it. The 2023 World Cup winner headed the ball into the netting to give New York the advantage at the half.
World Cup stars came up big for their respective squads in the NWSL Championship — at least one national team player cashed in on each goal, with Williams and Lavelle from the U.S. women’s national team and González from Spain.
And while Purce missed out on the World Cup with a quad tear, the USWNT forward put her name in the NWSL history books with her two first-half assists. She is just the second player to record multiple assists in an NWSL final, joining Lauren Holiday, who did so for 2014 champion FC Kansas City. She won the NWSL Championship MVP award for her performance.
The buzz leading into the game centered around the retiring stars, Megan Rapinoe for OL Reign and Ali Krieger for Gotham FC, but the next wave of international stars stepped into the spotlight during the NWSL Championship.
Going 🆙, @Estheeer9! ⚽️@GothamFC restores its lead just before the break!#NWSLChampionship pic.twitter.com/W7wipa2A4Q
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) November 12, 2023
Gotham FC could go from worst to first in the NWSL, an astonishing transformation witnessed firsthand by Ifeoma Onumonu.
The 29-year-old forward joined Gotham FC in 2020, and she has played for four different head coaches in her time with the club. Freya Coombe left for Angel City in 2021, then Scott Parkinson was fired following a 4-0-8 (W-D-L) start to the 2022 season. Hue Menzies took over as interim head coach through the end of that season, and Juan Carlos Amorós took the reigns ahead of the 2023.
Under Amorós, the club has gone from a league-worst 4-1-17 record last season to 8-6-6 season. With 30 points, Gotham FC is in third place with two matches left to play, and a chance to surpass the San Diego Wave and Portland Thorns for the NWSL Shield.
“I feel like I’m on a different team every year because every year I’ve been here, it’s been a different coach,” Onumonu said on the latest episode of Just Women’s Sports‘ “Snacks” podcast. “And I think that has been sort of the key is the coaching and the staff in general. I think this is the most staff we’ve ever had. I think obviously the players that we’ve brought in this year is a change too. But I think in culmination with all those things, that’s what’s led to the season that we’ve had as compared to last year.”
From Onumonu’s perspective, 2022 was “just a mess” and was “really hard.” She doesn’t feel like the team was set up for success.
This season, though, the team entered with a clear plan and expectations.
“There’s not this mentality, that underdog mentality, because Gotham/Sky Blue has always been that team that it’s like, ‘Ooh, at the bottom of the table.’ It’s not a secret,” she said. “Like, even before I got here, it was like, very much up and down, up and down, mostly down. … I think the club has grown so much. I think that’s part of the reason why we are where we are now.”
“Snacks” co-host Lynn Williams served as a key offseason addition, and the midseason signing of World Cup champion Esther González provided an additional boost. And the buy-in from all the players is something Williams has noticed in her first year with the club.
“It just seemed like everybody who was here last year said, ‘No, we’re just gonna buy into this, and we want to do better,’” she said. “Because you have not had the success you wanted in prior years. So I don’t know, I just like being on this team.”
Esther González knows how to put on a show.
In her home debut for Gotham FC, Gonzalez, captain of the Spain national team, scored two goals in the team’s 2-0 win over the Washington Spirit on Saturday.
A night to remember for @Estheeer9 and @GothamFC 👏#NJNYvWAS presented by @Nationwide pic.twitter.com/KzgvJqqF2y
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 17, 2023
“I’ve spent a lot of time imagining this moment — getting here, getting to know the city, getting to know my new teammates,” González told the Philadelphia Inquirer earlier in the week. “In Spain, there’s a different playing style that I’m used to, and I’m here to show a new version of myself, get something extra to my game.
“If you’re in a new place with good feelings, everything is easier. I’ve chosen wisely, and this is the place where I can be the best I can.”
Those words proved to be prescient. González’s first goal came in the 65th minute, when she scored with her right foot from the center of the box on a run. But she was not done.
Five minutes later she scored again, this time with her left foot, on an assist from Lynn Williams. She celebrated with her teammates, a wide smile on her face, as the home fans celebrated.
Gonzalez officially debuted for the team on the road, against North Carolina on Sept. 2. She arrived in the NWSL on the heels of Spain’s victory in the World Cup, which has been overshadowed by the controversy surrounding Luis Rubiales, former president of the Spanish Soccer Federation. Rubiales resigned last week stemming from outcry surrounding his unsolicited kiss of star Jenni Hermoso during the medal ceremony.
A champion has arrived at Gotham FC.
On Thursday night, Gotham formally introduced Esther González, captain of the World Cup-winning Spain national team, as its newest addition at a Manhattan restaurant.
After a decorated career that has included stops at Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid, González’s arrival in the NWSL will represent a unique challenge.
“There are some leagues and some countries where I think players have been somewhat reluctant to come to this league,” Gotham general manager Yael Averbuch West told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “From the very beginning, we realized Esther has the personality necessary to come here and succeed. She’s up for an adventure and really intense in a way that — you can just tell when you talk to someone if they’re going to be up for this.”
González joins a Gotham (7-5-6, 27 points) team clinging to one of six playoff spots. The striker actually played her first game for the club Sept. 2 at North Carolina, but her first home game will be Saturday against the Washington Spirit.
Her arrival marks just the second time in NWSL history a reigning World Cup champion from a country other than the United States has joined a team. Spain’s victory has been overshadowed by scandal; Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Soccer Federation, resigned last week after uproar stemming from his unsolicited kiss of Jenni Hermoso during the team’s medal celebration.
González will look to add to her legacy in New York, after scoring 30 goals in 54 games for Real.
“The U.S. is a powerhouse, especially the national team, and as a team they were always the best and a reference for all of us, including me,” she said. “Now having the chance to play in this league, face those players that I’ve idolized — I never thought I’d make it.”