# 2025 NJ/NY Gotham FC season

The 2025 NJ/NY Gotham FC season will be the team's 16th season as a professional women's soccer team and twelfth participating in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the top tier of women's soccer in the United States.

## Background

In 2024, Gotham FC finished the NWSL season in 3rd place and with a 17–4–5 record. The team advanced past the quarterfinals stage of the playoffs with a 2–1 win over Portland Thorns FC before being eliminated in the semifinals by the Washington Spirit.
Gotham competed in three other competitions, kicking off 2024 with a defeat to 2023 shield winners San Diego Wave FC in the one-match NWSL Challenge Cup. The team later competed in the first edition of the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup, where they made it to the championship match before falling at the hands of the Kansas City Current. Finally, Gotham FC advanced to the knockout stage of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, which will be played in May 2025.

## Summary
### Preseason

Gotham FC began preseason by announcing a flurry of departures in early December 2024, including defender Sam Hiatt and midfielders Maitane López and Delanie Sheehan. All three players later signed with fellow NWSL clubs as free agents. On December 10, 2024, the club announced its end-of-year contract statuses. Five players were listed as out of contract: Michelle Betos, Mandy Freeman, McCall Zerboni, and forwards Svava Rós Guðmundsdóttir, Midge Purce, and Jéssica Silva. While Freeman and Silva both re-signed with Gotham, the club announced that veteran midfielder Zerboni would not be returning to Gotham in 2025.
Gotham continued to make roster moves in the form of trades as the new year approached. On December 20, the club executed a trade with Seattle Reign FC, involving the move of Lynn Williams and Cassie Miller to Seattle while also obtaining midfielder Jaelin Howell. Another attacking departure occurred one week later, with Yazmeen Ryan being traded to the Houston Dash in exchange for a record-high sum of allocation money.
Several players were subsequently signed, filling in the gaps left behind by the club's departures. As part of the NWSL's transition from a college draft to free agency, Gotham signed Sarah Schupansky, Lilly Reale, Khyah Harper, and Ryan Campbell to their first professional contracts. The club also signed international players Stella Nyamekye and Gabi Portilho in late December.
On January 17, the club traded goalkeeper Abby Smith to the Houston Dash for $20,000 in intra-league transfer funds.

## Team
### Current squad

    As of January 17, 2025
| No. | Name | Date of birth (age) | Since | Previous team | Notes |
| Goalkeepers |||||||
| 12 | Ryan Campbell | (2002-03-18)March 18, 2002 (aged 22) | 2025 | UCLA Bruins | |
| 18 | Shelby Hogan | (1998-05-10)May 10, 1998 (aged 26) | 2025 | Portland Thorns FC | |
| 30 | Ann-Katrin Berger | (1990-10-09)October 9, 1990 (aged 34) | 2024 | Chelsea | INT |
| Defenders |||||||
| 2 | Jenna Nighswonger | (2000-11-28)November 28, 2000 (aged 24) | 2023 | Florida State Seminoles | |
| 3 | Bruninha | (2002-06-16)June 16, 2002 (aged 22) | 2022 | Santos | INT |
| 4 | Lilly Reale | (2000-11-28)November 28, 2000 (aged 24) | 2025 | UCLA Bruins | |
| 6 | Emily Sonnett | (1993-11-25)November 25, 1993 (aged 31) | 2024 | OL Reign | |
| 15 | Tierna Davidson | (1998-09-19)September 19, 1998 (aged 26) | 2024 | Chicago Red Stars | |
| 22 | Mandy Freeman | (1995-03-23)March 23, 1995 (aged 29) | 2017 | USC Trojans | |
| 27 | Jess Carter | (1997-10-27)October 27, 1997 (aged 27) | 2024 | Chelsea | |
| Midfielders |||||||
| 8 | Taryn Torres | (1999-04-23)April 23, 1999 (aged 25) | 2021 | Virginia Cavaliers | |
| 14 | Nealy Martin | (1998-04-22)April 22, 1998 (aged 26) | 2023 | Racing Louisville FC | |
| 16 | Rose Lavelle | (1995-05-14)May 14, 1995 (aged 29) | 2024 | OL Reign | |
| 90 | Stella Nyamekye | (2005-09-18)September 18, 2005 (aged 19) | 2025 | Dreamz Ladies | INT |
| Forwards |||||||
| 9 | Esther González | (1992-12-08)December 8, 1992 (aged 32) | 2023 | Real Madrid | INT |
| 11 | Sarah Schupansky | (2003-08-25)August 25, 2003 (aged 21) | 2025 | Pittsburgh Panthers | |
| 13 | Ella Stevens | (1997-12-11)December 11, 1997 (aged 27) | 2024 | Chicago Red Stars | |
| 18 | Gabi Portilho | (1995-07-18)July 18, 1995 (aged 29) | 2025 | Corinthians | INT |
| 20 | Jéssica Silva | (1994-12-11)December 11, 1994 (aged 30) | 2024 | Benfica | INT |
| 24 | Cece Kizer | (1997-08-07)August 7, 1997 (aged 27) | 2024 | Houston Dash | |
| 31 | Mckenna Whitham | (2010-07-27)July 27, 2010 (aged 14) | 2024 | Slammers FC HB Køge | U18 |
| 34 | Khyah Harper | August 15, 2002 (aged 23) | 2025 | Minnesota Golden Gophers | |
* ↑ denotes a season-ending injury.

### Technical staff

    As of January 9, 2025

## Competitions

Win  Draw  Loss

### Regular season
#### Regular-season standings
#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Source: NWSLsoccer.com

##### Results by matchday

* Matchday
* Ground
* Result
* Position
* ↑ NJY's position at the end of the day on which their match was played.

## Transactions

Re-signings :
| Date | Player | Pos. | Notes | Ref. |
| December 19, 2024 | Mandy Freeman | DF | Re-signed to a two-year contract. | |
| December 31, 2024 | Jéssica Silva | FW | Re-signed to a short-term contract through June 30, 2025. | |

### Transfers in

| Date | Player | Pos. | Previous club | Fee/notes |
| December 20, 2024 | Jaelin Howell | MF | Seattle Reign FC | Traded, along with $70,000 in allocation money and a 2025 international roster spot, in exchange for Cassie Miller and Lynn Williams. |
| December 23, 2024 | Sarah Schupansky | FW | Pittsburgh Panthers | Free agent rookie signed to a two-year contract with a club option. |
| December 24, 2024 | Stella Nyamekye | MF | Dreamz Ladies F.C. | Acquired in exchange for an undisclosed transfer fee and signed to a three-year contract with a mutual option. |
| December 30, 2024 | Gabi Portilho | FW | Corinthians | Signed to a two-year contract with an option. |
| December 31, 2024 | Shelby Hogan | GK | Portland Thorns FC | Traded, along with $40,000 in allocation money, in exchange for $10,000 in intra-league transfer funds and a 2025 international roster spot. |
| January 3, 2025 | Lilly Reale | DF | UCLA Bruins | Free agent rookie signed to a three-year contract. |
| January 8, 2025 | Khyah Harper | FW | Minnesota Golden Gophers | Free agent rookie signed to a one-year contract. |
| January 10, 2025 | Ryan Campbell | GK | UCLA Bruins | Free agent rookie signed to a one-year contract. |

### Transfers out

| Date | Player | Pos. | Destination club | Fee/notes |
| December 4, 2024 | Delanie Sheehan | MF | Houston Dash | Free agent. |
| December 5, 2024 | Maitane López | MF | Chicago Red Stars | Free agent. |
| December 6, 2024 | Sam Hiatt | DF | Portland Thorns FC | Free agent. |
| December 10, 2024 | Michelle Betos | GK | | Out of contract. |
| December 10, 2024 | Svava Rós Guðmundsdóttir | FW | | Out of contract. |
| December 10, 2024 | Midge Purce | FW | | Out of contract. |
| December 10, 2024 | McCall Zerboni | MF | | Out of contract. |
| December 20, 2024 | Cassie Miller | GK | Seattle Reign FC | Both players traded in exchange for $70,000 in allocation money, a 2025 international roster spot, and Jaelin Howell. |
| December 20, 2024 | Lynn Williams | FW | Seattle Reign FC | Both players traded in exchange for $70,000 in allocation money, a 2025 international roster spot, and Jaelin Howell. |
| December 27, 2024 | Yazmeen Ryan | MF | Houston Dash | Traded, along with $80,000 in intra-league transfer funds, in exchange for $400,000 in allocation money and a 2025 international roster spot. |
| January 17, 2025 | Abby Smith | GK | Houston Dash | Traded in exchange for $20,000 in intra-league transfer funds. |
| January 31, 2025 | Crystal Dunn | FW | Paris Saint-Germain | Free agent |