Gotham FC signs Danish international midfielder Josefine Hasbo | OneFootball

A few days after a controversial 2-1 loss to the Kansas City Current, NJ/NY Gotham FC made their first mid-season signing of 2025 in the form of 23-year-old midfielder Josefine Hasbo. She last played for Harvard University. The contract keeps her tied to the New Jersey-based club through the 2027 season. In order to "comply with roster regulations, Gotham FC has acquired an international roster spot in a trade with Racing Louisville FC in exchange for $7,000 in transfer funds" to facilitate the signing.

Hasbo joins Gotham FC after a four-year career at Harvard that saw her become the first player in program history to appear at a World Cup. She was also named an All-American in 2023, served as captain in 2024, and finished her college career with 25 goals, good enough for ninth all-time in program history.

In addition to her college exploits, she is an experienced international as well. In addition to captaining the U-17 and U-19 youth national teams, she has 32 caps for the senior Danish National Team, including four appearances at the 2023 World Cup. She made her senior debut at just 18 years old in March 2020 against Sweden.

Hasbo can make an instant impact for Gotham FC

While the main concern from fans has been the lack of depth on the backline, which will probably be addressed in the near future, the midfield depth is also pretty thin. The main reason why that has not been as much of a concern is that the starters have remained healthy. Plus, Rose Lavelle and Sofia Cook are working their way back onto the field in recent games. The defensive group, meanwhile, will be without Tierna Davidson for the rest of the season and has seen almost every other player come in and out of the lineup due to injury throughout 2025.

Given the lack of depth in the position, she should have the opportunity to play. Hasbo also brings a level of versatility as an attacking midfielder, as well as her ability to play deeper in midfield. This will be very important for Gotham moving forward, as they have at times needed to move Nealy Martin into the backline due to injuries and player availability.

Adding Hasbo to the mix gives Head Coach Juan Carlos Amorós more flexibility in midfield to try and counter the opposition's game plan instead of being forced into playing the same players every game.

This also gives players the chance to rest and rotate, unlike what they've had in the past. Jaelin Howell has played all but 18 minutes of this season so far. And while she has been a key contributor in this team's midfield, this is a player who has missed time with injury over the last two seasons and will probably need her minutes managed moving forward.

The same could be said for Lavelle and Cook, who have both only recently gotten back on the field after missing the start of the season due to injury. Hasbo should be able to step in and play big minutes in key roles pretty early on.

This also potentially changes the outlook for how the NJ/NY side approaches the summer signing window. There are currently a lot of moving parts on the roster, but come July 1, they could have as many as three open roster spots, with one being an international roster spot. Currently, the roster sits at 25 players with Shelby Hogan currently on the 45-day injured list. She is eligible to come off that designation at any time, given she has already surpassed the mandatory 45-day staying period.

They also have Emerson Elgin, Tyler McCamey, and Jéssica Silva on short-term contracts, which are set to expire on June 30. If they elect not to re-sign any of these three, then that is where the three roster spots and one international spot would come from. One thing to keep note of is the timing of the signing of Hasbo. They could have waited until after June 30 to make this signing official and not had to acquire an additional roster spot from Louisville.

But the fact that they made this signing now instead of waiting a few weeks could mean that they have plans for that international spot that Silva currently occupies. It could just mean they plan on re-signing her for the rest of the year, or maybe they plan on using it to replace Davidson, who is done for the season. Whatever the reasoning, expect Gotham FC to be very active in this upcoming summer signing window.