Gotham FC is bringing its first NWSL championship home to New Jersey, completing a stunning worst-to-first transformation on Saturday night just one season after finishing dead last in the 12-team league.
The underdog sixth-seeded team defeated favored OL Reign, 2-1, in an often chaotic final that ended the brilliant careers of two U.S. soccer legends.
One, Reign star Megan Rapinoe, limped off the field early in the game after suffering a non-contact leg injury. The other, Gotham captain Ali Krieger, walked off as a NWSL champion for the first time to help New Jersey’s franchise go from the worst record in the league a year ago to celebrating an unlikely championship.
“I think we came out here and we stuck to our plan,” Krieger said at the trophy presentation. “We know how good we can be so we applied everything we worked on this season... We were so, so excited to come out here, enjoy the atmosphere, enjoy the grass, and I’m so happy we get to go home with this trophy.”
The moment is a significant one for New Jersey’s first couple. Gov. Phil Murphy is the team’s majority owner, while his wife Tammy Murphy has overseen a team’s resurrection from the bottom of the league as its chairwoman.
And two newcomers who fueled the team’s climb from the league basement made the game-changing plays. Lynn Williams, playing in her fourth NSWL final, opened the scoring in the 24th minute. Then, minutes after Reign star Rose Lavelle scored the equalizer, Esther Gonzalez scored in first-half stoppage time to put Gotham ahead for good.
But the MVP was Midge Purce. The forward dominated the game for Gotham, setting up both Gotham goals with her speed, brilliant playmaking and a perfect corner kick.
The final minutes were wild. Following a VAR review in stoppage time, Gotham goalie Mandy Haught was issued a red card for denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity and sent off, giving the Reign a chance to tie it. With defender Nealy Martin taking over in goal, the Reign’s Rose Lavelle took a free kick just outside the box but it bounced off a Gotham player along the wall.
The franchise was founded 17 years ago as Jersey Sky Blue, playing its home games on Rutgers’ home field and winning the first Women’s Professional Soccer championship in 2009. The team, rebranded NJ/NY Gotham FC in 2021, has been part of the National Women’s Soccer League since its inception 2012.
The team has had more than its share of rocky moments on and off the field over the past decade, but its move to Red Bull Arena in 2019 started a new era for the franchise. The team also recruited high-profile new investors such as former Giants quarterback Eli Manning, U.S. soccer legend Carli Lloyd and basketball stars Sue Bird and Kevin Durant.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Steve Politi may be reached at spoliti@njadvancemedia.com.