At Saturday’s home opener against the North Carolina Courage, Gotham FC players received their 2025 NWSL Championship rings in a post-match ceremony. The ceremony included speeches from former Gotham player Ali Krieger, club owner Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, General Manager Yael Averbuch West, and coach Juan Carlos Amorós.
Gotham went on an unexpected playoff run last fall after only placing eighth in the regular season—the second time in three years the club won the Championship after securing the lowest
playoff seed. They beat Shield winners Kanas City Current in a stoppage time game-winning goal, then went on to knock out the Orlando Pride and Washington Spirit.
Amorós spoke about what it meant to him to coach the team to their second title in three years: “It feels really special. I was a football fan growing up as a kid, I love football—I always dreamt to be in a position like this, but I wasn’t sure if it was going to be possible… Second ring in three years, building something new for this football club.”
“It’s always just fun to have a little reminder of how last year went,” defender Lilly Reale said about the ring ceremony. “I think it definitely fuels us for this next year even more, just to know what it means to be able to win in the playoffs and now put together a more consistent year.”
Reale also praised the ring itself: “It’s gorgeous, such a pretty ring. I think they did a great job with it.”
On the outside, the ring features the Gotham FC crest with two stars. On the inside, the ring contains each players’ name and number, and the motto “Always building, never finished.”
USWNT star defender and Gotham FC captain Tierna Davidson made her return to the pitch on Saturday after nearly a year away, recovering from an ACL injury. She said that in order for Gotham to earn “dynasty” status, they first have to focus on consistency.
“To even come close to touching something called a dynasty, we have to be a lot more consistent, and we have to prove game in and game out that we are that kind of team,” said Davidson. “We have to do that starting every weekend.”
Gotham had several offseason acquisition, including highly anticipated rookies Jordynn Dudley and Andrea Kitahata. Dudley had her first start on Saturday, while Kitahata made her first NWSL appearance.
They also acquired midfielder Savannah McCaskill, who has started both of Gotham’s games this season, and Norwegian star forward Guro Reiten from Chelsea FC.
Gotham FC will play their next game against the Denver Summit on Wednesday. They also recently announced the “Queens Classic,” which they will play at Citi Field in July against the Washington Spirit.
