SAN JOSE, Calif. — Gotham FC claimed the NWSL championship on Saturday, defeating the Washington Spirit 1-0.
Gotham midfielder Rose Lavelle scored the winner within the eightieth minute in entrance of an introduced sellout crowd of 18,000 at PayPal Park. Substitute Bruninha‘s centering feed throughout the highest of the field arrange the aim for Lavelle, who was named the sport’s MVP.
It was the second aim in an NWSL ultimate for Lavelle, who additionally scored whereas enjoying for the Seattle Reign of their 2-1 loss to Gotham in 2023.
It was Gotham’s second title in three years below coach Juan Carlos Amorós, who guided the membership from the eighth seed to the championship. Gotham loved a storybook run to the title, eliminating the top-seeded Kansas Metropolis Present and the Orlando Delight earlier than defeating the Spirit. Amorós turns into the third supervisor in league historical past with a number of NWSL titles.
The Spirit misplaced within the ultimate for the second 12 months in a row after falling to the Orland Delight 1-0 final season.
A lot of the pre-game chatter targeted on the standing of Spirit ahead Trinity Rodman, who has been coping with an MCL sprain to her proper knee for the final month. Whereas Rodman wasn’t listed on the pregame damage report, she was as soon as once more on the bench to start out the match. She ultimately got here on within the 56th minute, however was unable to have a lot of an influence on the sport, and was clearly lower than 100%, missing a few of her trademark explosiveness.
Maybe aware of how few possibilities they created in its semifinal victory over Orlando, Gotham had been the aggressor initially of the match, urgent Washington deep in its personal half. Gotham ahead Jaedyn Shaw appeared decided to shoot at any time when attainable, together with straight from the kickoff. That try had Spirit keeper Aubrey Kingsbury scrambling for a second, but it surely went large, and neither of Shaw’s different two makes an attempt within the first 10 minutes pressured Kingsbury right into a troublesome save.
Whereas Washington threatened on a few events by way of Rosemonde Kouassi within the early going, the match settled right into a stalemate for the rest of the half, one characterised by an growing degree of bodily play.
Gotham appeared to have created a gap late within the half when Shaw chested down Mandy Freeman’s cross into the trail of Esther González, however Spirit defender Tara McKeown received a chunk of the following shot permitting Kingsbury to simply gather.
The second half started with Kouassi having extra of an affect, and he or she almost pressured a breakthrough within the fifty fifth minute. Kouassi’s run down the proper wing noticed her join with Croix Bethune who laid it off for Leicy Santos, however Gotham defender Emily Sonnett was there to save lots of the day, delivering an important block on the next shot.
Kouassi was having an influence in different methods as properly. She had already pressured Lilly Reale right into a yellow card foul late within the first half, and continued to assault the reigning NWSL Rookie of the 12 months. She pressured Reale right into a foul once more within the 59th minute, and Amorós, sensing Reale was in peril of getting despatched off, subbed her out for Bruninha within the 63rd minute.
The transfer proved a grasp stroke for the Gotham supervisor, as not solely was Kouassi’s affect restricted thereafter, however Bruninha’s move helped arrange the game-winner.
Washington did what it may to search out an equalizer, however Gotham’s protection, marshalled beautifully by Sonnett and Jess Carter, was in a position to see the match out and declare the title.
