NJ/NY Gotham FC, the reigning NWSL and CONCACAF champions, traveled to Spain this past weekend to prepare for the inaugural FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, the club announced on Monday. This is the second preseason in a row that the club has spent in Spain.
The club will train at Sotogrande Football Center, in southern Spain. The trip will consist of three weeks of training, including “closed-door scrimmages against high-quality European competition”.
In late January, Gotham FC will play in the Women’s
Champions Cup, a competition that will decide the first FIFA women’s intercontinental club champion. Their first match will be against Corinthians, a Brazilian club, at Brentford Stadium in London.
Gotham forward Gabi Portilho previously played for Corinthians before joining the NWSL. “This tournament will be very exciting, and it’s even more special to take part in the very first edition,” said Portilho in an interview with FIFA. “Corinthians recaptured the Libertadores title on merit and will play against us. But now I wear another shirt, now I’m Gotham. We’ll do everything to win.”
In the other semi-final match, UWCL champions Arsenal will play African champion AS FAR of Morocco. The two winning teams will play each other in the final at Emirates Stadium on February 1.
Gotham will travel to London the week prior to the semifinal match.
This early preseason start is just the beginning of a busy season; Gotham FC will also compete in the NWSL Challenge Cup, and both the the knockout and group stages of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup.
The club has had a relatively quiet offseason so far, signing midfielder Savannah McCaskill and forward Talia Sommer. Forward Midge Purce also signed a new contract with Gotham, returning for her seventh season with the club.
Forward Geyse returned to Manchester United after her loan completed, and forward Ella Stevens departed Gotham to sign with Boston Legacy FC in free agency.
