Gotham FC’s first NWSL Championship victory was sweet. The squad engineered a complete turnaround from last season, going from worst to first to put an exclamation point on captain Ali Krieger’s career.

Two other Gotham players also received a fairytale ending to the season: NWSL whistleblowers Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly.

In late 2021, Shim and Farrelly exposed a longstanding culture of sexual coercion under their former head coach Paul Riley. Their stories of abuse led to widespread investigations and sweeping changes across the league, including changes in leadership and a groundbreaking collective bargaining agreement.

“I never really imagined that I’d have this full-circle moment and opportunity to go back as a player, and definitely not as a teammate of Sinead’s again,” Shim told The Oregonian. “I think we are both excited and this feels like a gift we are experiencing, being together again.”

Both Shim and Farrelly had retired from soccer after suffering from Riley’s mistreatment with the Portland Thorns and from injuries. But they both returned to play for Gotham together this season — and their joint comeback ended in triumph.

“I think it’s this full-circle moment of reclaiming back what we felt like we lost and the difficulties and things we’ve been through in the past with [Portland] particularly, but also just with this league,” Farrelly told The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Before the championship match began, NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman weighed in on the importance of Shim and Farrelly’s participation in the game.

“For me, personally, I’m so proud to see Mana and Sinead competing on the pitch tonight. I’m just so proud that we have created an environment that they feel safe and supported,” Berman said.

Along with achieving their dream of winning a title with Gotham FC, Shim and Farrelly were able to make the NWSL a safer place for players in the process.

“It’s just been a dream,” Farrelly told The Inquirer. “I haven’t even had time to process, but it just keeps being the best-case scenario that I could have ever dreamed of — that I didn’t even think was possible. So it’s just incredible.”

Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly will be back in Portland as players Saturday for the first time since their returns to soccer.

Both are now members of NJ/NY Gotham FC, and their return to the sport, together, has been a full-circle moment in in its own right. But this will be their first time returning to Providence Park since they spoke out on alleged abuses they suffered while playing for the Thorns.

That moment in 2021 forever changed the NWSL, for the better. Shim and Farrelly’s account, published in The Athletic, spurred a reckoning throughout the NWSL, leading to widespread abuse investigations, new leadership and and a groundbreaking collective bargaining agreement.

Farrelly, who retired in 2016, and Shim, who retired in 2018, returned to play for Gotham FC in 2023. Also, in addition to playing for Gotham, Shim serves as the chairperson of U.S. Soccer’s Participant Safety Taskforce.

“I never really imagined that I’d have this full circle moment and opportunity to go back as a player, and definitely not as a teammate of Sinead’s again,” Shim told The Oregonian. “I think we are both excited and this feels like a gift we are experiencing, being together again.

“I love Portland, and I’ve always loved Portland. It’s a fun thing to go in there and play when you’re not the home team, and I look forward to that, because I haven’t done it yet. Overall, I think it’s just going to be an exciting, full-circle moment.”

For her part, Farrelly has also fallen in love with the game again. And she got to feature for the Republic of Ireland this year for the first time, including at her first World Cup.

Admittedly, Farrelly is glad the game is coming at the time it has, because it would have been “a lot to handle” earlier in the season. Now, she’s excited to go back. Both Shim and Farrelly say they feel supported by their Gotham teammates, and that means everything.

“To have that safety has been really important for me personally,” Farrelly said. “Just being back in this culture. There have been times in my career where it’s been really difficult, and Mana gets it.

“We have that comfort level but we have also just been having so much fun, reminding each other what a gift and a privilege it is that we get to training together and play soccer every day. That has been really healing, finding the joy in playing the game again and being on a team again.”

Both are thankful for the Thorns’ fanbase, which has been supportive of the two players since day one. And, at the end of the day, while a win on Saturday is important – as it would put Gotham ahead of Portland in the league standings – there’s also one important thing still left to do in Portland.

“I feel like we’ve done a lot of work and there is so much to be celebrated,” Shim said, then paused. “Our priorities are pretty obvious, but at the end of the day, like, sell the Thorns. We’re not there yet. There’s still one piece of the thing. I’m really grateful for all the progress we’ve made, but we’re still following along. Our work isn’t over, and when we’re done playing our work won’t be over. It’s something that we always have to remember.”

Mana Shim is joining Gotham FC on a short-term injury replacement contract, the club announced on Sunday.

“I am excited to return to the NWSL as part of Gotham FC. It’s a demanding and professional environment that’s focused on players first, and they have put together an incredibly talented group that I’m honored to share the field with,” Shim said in a statement.

The midfielder will be available to play in Sunday’s game against the Chicago Red Stars (5:30 p.m. EST, Paramount+).

Shim previously played in the NWSL as a member of the Portland Thorns (2013-17) and Houston Dash (2018). She makes her return to the NWSL after a five-year hiatus; her last league game was on June 2, 2018.

In 2021, Shim and Sinead Farrelly publicly accused their former coach, Paul Riley, of sexual harassment and coercion in a story published by The Athletic. The story prompted Riley’s firing and opened multiple investigations into abuse in the NWSL. Following the release of the U.S. Soccer-commissioned Sally Yates report in 2022, Shim was named chair of a U.S. Soccer Participant Safety Taskforce. Per Gotham FC’s press release, Shim will continue serving in her full-time position with U.S. Soccer while playing in the league.

Farrelly, who took her own six-year break from soccer, also resumed playing earlier this year as a member of Gotham FC. Sunday’s game will mark Farrelly and Shim’s first NWSL game as teammates since 2015.

Sinead Farrelly made her international debut for Ireland on Saturday, playing 60 minutes in a friendly against the USWNT.

It marked the latest chapter in Farrelly’s impressive comeback after she was essentially focused into an early retirement in 2016.

“I am so overwhelmed,” the 33-year-old Farrelly told the Athletic after the friendly in Austin, Texas, which Ireland lost 0-2. “Very happy, excited — obviously we wanted to win — but I am just really proud of the team. I am also very tired.”

Members of the USWNT also expressed their excitement at seeing Farrelly compete in Saturday’s match, which was played in front of a sellout crowd of 20,593 fans.

“It was so good to see her on the field,” said U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovski, who coached Farrelly when she was a member of the NWSL’s FC Kansas City in 2013.

“Obviously it’s a good opportunity for her to earn a spot for a team that will compete in the World Cup. But also just to see her back on the field because we know she’s a tremendous player. She’s really skillful, total footballer. So when I saw her after the game, I could see that joy in her eyes too.”

USWNT star forward Alex Morgan, who was teammates with Farrelly on the Portland Thorns and helped support her in the process of telling her story, was also ecstatic to play against her.

“She’s the Sinead I remember playing with on the Thorns,” Morgan told the Athletic. “I’m just so impressed with her.”

In September 2021, Farrelly went public with her experience of sexual abuse at the hands of former Thorns coach Paul Riley in a story published by the Athletic.

The allegations made by Farrelly and by her former Thorns teammate Mana Shim prompted the firing of Riley by the North Carolina Courage and the opening of wider abuse investigations by the NWSL and its players association as well as U.S. Soccer.

Farrelly, who retired from soccer in 2016, only resumed training in July 2022. She joined the NWSL’s Gotham FC as a non-roster invitee for preseason in February before signing a contract for the 2023 season. She played in her first NWSL game in nearly eight years last weekend.

While Farrelly’s NWSL comeback was impressive on its own, her debut for Ireland — which was announced just this week — is an even more stunning development.

Farrelly has dual U.S.-Irish citizenship. Her father is from Ireland and she spent part of her childhood there.

“Ireland’s always been really interwoven into our life and my family life,” she said Friday. “And so it feels a little surreal, but I feel really honored and proud to be wearing this badge.”

Still, she had to receive official approval from FIFA to compete for Ireland, as she previously represented the United States in international competition at the youth level.

Ireland will make its first ever appearance at the Women’s World Cup at this summer’s tournament in Australia and New Zealand, but Farrelly isn’t planning that far ahead — yet.

“I don’t want to lose sight of why I came back to play,” she said Saturday when asked whether she wanted to compete for a World Cup roster spot. “It was just to have the game back in my life, and feel that joy and passion again, and I don’t want to attach (myself) to any outcomes.”

Sinead Farrelly’s “surreal” return to soccer took another twist Friday, as she will start for the Ireland women’s national team in Saturday’s friendly against the USWNT.

Just last week, the 33-year-old midfielder played in her first NWSL match since 2015. She had left the sport after experiencing sexual abuse at the hands of her coach, but she went public with her story in 2021, prompting major investigations into the league.

Farrelly returned this year, joining Gotham FC for the preseason as a non-roster invitee before singing a contract for the 2023 season. She made her debut in the club’s most recent match against OL Reign, and she slipped “seamlessly” into the flow of the game, her teammate Lynn Williams said.

While the match ended in a 2-0 loss, Farrelly made an immediate impact when she entered in the 70th minute, bringing “a lot of control to the midfield,” Williams said on the latest episode of Snacks. And she does the same day in and day out.

“Every day when I see her at training, she’s so technically good that half the time I’m like, ‘Sinead, give me the ball.’ If I’m defending her, I’m like, ‘Just give it to me!’ But I can’t get it off her,” Williams said.

Now Farrelly can show her skills on the international stage, as she joins Ireland for its pair of friendlies against the USWNT, starting with the first at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday.

Ireland is preparing for its first-ever World Cup appearance, and Farrelly is getting the start in just her first camp. Coach Vera Pauw announced the lineup decision Friday, just hours after Farrelly officially joined the roster.

“She has been the standout player, to be honest,” Ireland midfielder Denise O’Sullivan said.

Farrelly’s father is from Ireland, and she spent part of her childhood living there. She maintains dual citizenship, which opened the door for this opportunity.

“Ireland’s always been really interwoven into our life and my family life,” she said Friday. “And so it feels a little surreal, but I feel really honored and proud to be wearing this badge.”

While Farrelly and the Ireland team had been in contact, whether she would be able to join the team came down to the timing of her return, she said.

“I was still trying to figure out if I could do this and my body could do this, and I wanted to try to make a team in the U.S. first and have a solid club,” Farrelly said. “And so I think the timing of getting invited into this last camp to train was exactly how it was supposed to be and perfect for both of us.”

While Farrelly is thrilled by this latest opportunity, she still is giving herself grace as she works her way back into the game.

“The only thing I’ve learned in this journey back to soccer for me is one day at a time, one session at a time,” she said. “I can get really overwhelmed and I can be really negative and critical with myself. And really the most important thing for me is just to show up and try my best and keep a positive attitude. So that’s just what I want to do every day.”

More than seven years after playing in her last NWSL match, Sinead Farrelly is returning to the league with Gotham FC.

The 33-year-old midfielder joined the New Jersey-based club for the preseason as a non-roster invitee and the club  announced her signing on Saturday.

“I’m thankful for all the support I’ve received to help me reach this point, because I could not have done this alone,” Farrelly said in a press release issued by Gotham.

“I want to be a key player for Gotham FC, while also having grace and compassion with myself as I acclimate back into the professional environment. There were times when this did not feel possible for me. But I have made it to this moment, and I’m going to keep building on it. As I continue, I hope to inspire others to follow their dreams, no matter how far out of reach they may seem.”

Farrelly last played in an NWSL regular-season match for the Portland Thorns in 2015. In September 2021, she went public with her experience of sexual abuse at the hands of former Thorns coach Paul Riley.

The allegations made by Farrelly and by her former Thorns teammate Mana Shim prompted the firing of Riley by the North Carolina Courage and the opening of wider abuse investigations by the NWSL and its players association as well as U.S. Soccer.

Farrelly had played under Riley on a semi-pro team, in the Women’s Professional Soccer league and then with the Thorns, and the sexual coercion continued with each team, she told The Athletic.

After the 2015 season with the Thorns, Farrelly was traded to the Boston Breakers, but she sat out the 2016 season with injuries sustained in a car crash. She announced her retirement after the 2016 season.

“It took me years away from the game to gain the awareness of how power imbalance works and to be able to tell people close to me what happened,” she told The Athletic.

Thanks in no small part to her decision to speak out about her experiences, Farrelly returns to a changed league, one which is making sweeping changes to improve player safety.

The game, though, remains the same, and Farrelly proved this preseason that she still can play. She scored the opening goal for Gotham FC in the team’s second preseason scrimmage, a 4-0 win against Florida State in late February. She will be available in Gotham’s season opener against Angel City.

“Sinead is not only an outstanding athlete, but one of the most admired people in our sport,” Gotham FC General Manager and Head of Soccer Operations Yael Averbuch West said in the release. “She came into camp and earned a contract with her outstanding play. I know she sees this as just a first step, but everyone at Gotham FC is incredibly proud to be part of Sinead’s journey, and excited about all of the great qualities to brings to our team.”

Sinead Farrelly had not played in the NWSL since 2015. But she did not let that slow her down in Saturday’s scrimmage with Gotham FC.

The 33-year-old midfielder scored the opening goal of the club’s 4-0 win against Florida State in its second preseason scrimmage. Farrelly is playing with the club as a non-roster invitee in her first NWSL action since she played for the Portland Thorns in 2015.

Her return comes after she helped spark change across the league. In September 2021, six years after playing her last NWSL match, she went public with her experience of sexual abuse by former Thorns coach Paul Riley. The allegations made by Farrelly and by her former Thorns teammate Mana Shim prompted wider abuse investigations by the NWSL and its players association as well as U.S. Soccer.

She looked at home with Gotham FC against the Seminoles, collecting a cross from captain McCall Zerboni and sending it into the bottom corner of the net.

After her 2015 season with the Thorns, Farrelly was traded to the Boston Breakers, but she sat out the 2016 season with injuries sustained in a car crash. She announced her retirement after the 2016 season.

“It took me years away from the game to gain the awareness of how power imbalance works and to be able to tell people close to me what happened,” Farrelly told The Athletic.

Sinead Farrelly is making her return to the NWSL after she helped spark a sea change in the league.

The 33-year-old midfielder is joining NJ/NY Gotham FC for the preseason as a non-roster invitee. She last played for the Portland Thorns in 2015, but in September 2021, six years after playing her last NWSL match, she went public with her experience of sexual abuse by former Thorns coach Paul Riley.

The allegations made by Farrelly and by her former Thorns teammate Mana Shim, published in The Athletic, prompted the firing of Riley by the North Carolina Courage and the opening of wider abuse investigations by the NWSL and its players association as well as U.S. Soccer.

Farrelly had played under Riley on a semi-pro team, in the Women’s Professional Soccer league and then with the Thorns, and the sexual coercion continued with each team, she told The Athletic.

With the Thorns in 2015, Riley took Farrelly and Shim back to his apartment and pressured them to kiss each other as he watched, both players told The Athletic. Shim filed a complaint with the front office after the season, which led the Thorns to fire Riley.

But U.S. Soccer’s report details how the Thorns front office decided to keep the claims made against Riley quiet, which allowed him to continue his coaching career. Then-Thorns GM Gavin Wilkinson even placed blame on Shim for Riley’s exit from the team.

After the 2015 season with the Thorns, Farrelly was traded to the Boston Breakers, but she sat out the 2016 season with injuries sustained in a car crash. She announced her retirement after the 2016 season.

“It took me years away from the game to gain the awareness of how power imbalance works and to be able to tell people close to me what happened,” Farrelly told The Athletic.

Now Farrelly’s return with Gotham FC shows the changing tides of the NWSL in the year since she, Shim and other players called for an end to abuse in the league.

The NWSL returned to action Wednesday night for the first time since a report of a coach’s abuse rocked the league.

For each of the NWSL’s three games, teams paused play at the sixth minute to meet in the center circle and link arms in a moment of silence. The demonstrations were in support of Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly, who came forward with allegations of sexual coercion and emotional abuse against former coach Paul Riley in The Athletic.

The NWSL Players Association said that the players paused at the sixth minute “in recognition of the six years it took for Mana, Sinead, and all those who fought for too long to be heard.”

Shim and Farelly addressed the demonstrations on Twitter, with Shim saying “no words, only tears.”

“Tears and chills watching this happen,” Farrelly wrote. “My heart goes out to every single player-former and current- who has lived through this culture of silence.

“We are demanding change and we are not going away.”

Change has been at the crux of the NWSL since the allegations against Riley surfaced, forcing a response from the league in a season rampant with controversies. NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird resigned from her position on Friday, while the Portland Thorns placed GM Gavin Wilkinson was on administrative leave after the team’s players released a list of demands.

Meanwhile, the NWSL, FIFA and US Soccer have each launched investigations into the cases of misconduct in the league.

Mana Shim, Sinead Farrelly and Alex Morgan spoke on The Today Show on Tuesday in their first public interview since Shim and Farrelly came forward with their accounts of abuse under former NWSL coach Paul Riley.

The Athletic released a report last week in which the former players accused Riley of sexual coercion and harassment and emotional abuse. The North Carolina Courage fired Riley hours after the story was published.

“It is the whole spectrum of emotions,” Farrelly said about how she’s felt since The Athletic article came out. “The support and the validation of this story by everyone globally has just been … it has blown me away and really has felt like it has given my pain purpose. That has been a liberation for me that I have not been able to feel for almost 10 years.”

Shim echoed Farrelly’s comments and added that there is still work to be done.

“I want more,” Shim said. “I want more justice. I want policies. I want players to be protected. At the same time, I feel like we’re on the right path.”

The support, both said, has been critical.

“I just feel speechless about it,” Farrelly said. “I don’t have words. They have truly amplified our voices and just made this what it should be. Which is a huge deal.”

Morgan addressed the league’s inaction, which allowed for another NWSL team to hire Riley five months after the Portland Thorns investigated his conduct and terminated his contract in 2015. The Orlando Pride and U.S. women’s national team star called the sequence of events a “systemic failure.”

“Something we ask is for the league to start being proactive and not reactive,” Morgan said. “We ask for transparency.”

In the days following the initial report, Lisa Baird resigned as NWSL commissioner and no games were played over the weekend while the league addressed the situation. In addition to Riley’s NWSL firing, U.S. Soccer suspended his Pro Level coaching license in response.

Both U.S. Soccer and FIFA have opened up investigations into the league and the NWSL has announced  a “commitment to systemic transformation,” including reopening the 2015 investigation into Riley.

Shim said Tuesday that change will not happen immediately.

“I’m still damaged,” she said. “This isn’t something that just goes away overnight because we talk about it. It’s extremely vulnerable and detailed what we’ve gotten into this week. It brings up a lot.

“I’m just so grateful for this opportunity to get these bad people out of the league and really shine a light on this issue because it’s so prevalent. It’s not just this team. It’s not just this coach. It’s across the league, it’s across the sport, and we have to do something about it.”

“It’s bigger than the sport,” Farrelly added. “This is about safety in our own lives and our bodies. The players deserve that. We all deserve that. That’s something that we will fight for.”