Gotham FC out to capture even greater goal in continuation of NWSL title season

A little over two months ago, Gotham FC raised the NWSL championship trophy into the crisp Bay Area air.A few days later, Gotham took the stage at City Hall in Manhattan and vowed the club was not done yet.“We are never finished,” head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said.“Our next stage is we want to be the champions of the world in January.”Gotham returns to action Wednesday in London for FIFA’s inaugural Women’s Champions Cup.

And while they are the reigning NWSL champions, they are, of course, far from satisfied.“Being at Gotham, you want to excel, and we want to be the best.And to be the best you kind of have to play the best and that means playing top competition around the globe,” right back Mandy Freeman told reporters earlier this month.

“Being in this competition, that allows us to really play other teams to test our mettle against… great teams from other countries and so we’re ready.”The past eight weeks have been a “whirlwind,” Freeman said.Gotham has had the shortest offseason of any NWSL team, but they don’t necessarily view that as a bad thing.Gotham is embracing the quick turnaround.

The club is approaching 2026 as a “continuation” from last season rather than a new beginning.It’s the sequel to a potential budding dynasty.Amorós said the team returned to camp at the beginning of this month ready to hit the ground running.

It helps, too, that they returned the majority of their championship-winning team for 2026.Rose Lavelle, who netted the game-winning goal in the title match, and defensive anchor Emily Sonnett are back along with Jaedyn Shaw, Bruninha, Tierna Davidson, Esther González, Jaelin Howell and Sarah Schupansky.Gotham also re-signed Midge Purce for another season and acquired veteran midfielder Savannah McCaskill from San Diego Wave FC.On Monday, Gotham added Florida State star forward and two-time NCAA champion Jordynn Dudley.The team’s continuity and blend of new talent should bode well as Gotham trie...