Gotham FC state of the club: 2026 midseason, early summer edition | OneFootball

With the second half, although not the true midpoint game-wise, of the NWSL season about to start, there is plenty to talk about surrounding NJ/NY Gotham FC. From off-the-field topics to what is expected on the field in the coming games, there is definitely no shortage of topics to discuss surrounding the club.

From player moves, new hires, off-field news, another trophy, and maybe another Rookie of the Year, it is very rarely a quiet day at Gotham FC. It is also good to get a feeling of where the team is before beginning the remainder of the 19 NWSL matches.

Here is the current state of the club.

Gotham FC: 2026 Challenge Cup winners

While NWSL play resumes this weekend, the league returned last Friday with the NWSL Challenge Cup played between Gotham FC and the Kansas City Current. The Bats came away 2-0 victors thanks to goals from Esther González and rookie Jordynn Dudley. This was González's third time scoring the game-winning goal for the NJ/NY side in a final, adding to the 2023 NWSL Championship and the 2025 CONCACAF W Champions Cup final.

The match took place in front of over 11,000 fans who had to endure a torrential rainstorm in the second half, a strong showing for a market with an NWSL team coming in 2028.

This win was Gotham's first-ever Challenge Cup victory after two previous losses in the finals in 2021 to Portland Thorns FC and in 2024 to San Diego Wave FC. This is also the fourth trophy in four years under head coach Juan Carlos Amorós, comfortably cementing him as by far and away the best head coach in club history.

New leadership structure

At the beginning of June, Gotham FC announced a new leadership structure. Mark Zarthar was appointed club president and will oversee all business operations. The long-time general manager, Yael Averbuch West, was promoted to president of soccer operations and will continue leading all sporting aspects of the club. Ryan Dillon, who served as Gotham FC’s chief business officer over the past two and a half years, will be returning to Next 3, Gotham FC owner Carolyn Tisch Blodgett's investment firm, as chief growth officer.

Zarthar is a very interesting hire. He comes from the NHL's Florida Panthers, where he served as the team's chief revenue officer. For anybody who follows the NHL, they will know that the Panthers are pretty similar to Gotham in regards to attendance. Despite a lot of on-ice success, the attendance has not always matched that success. He was able to help alleviate that problem with Florida, and the NJ/NY side will be hoping he can do the same with them.

There is also the question of the potential stadium move. While Gotham is locked in at Sports Illustrated Stadium in 2027, they have reportedly been in talks to move to NYCFC's new stadium in Queens for 2028.

Bringing Zarthar in now is interesting because his role could be to help with the transition to the new stadium, but it could also be to help the team find a way to stay in New Jersey long-term. And with the recent news of the club's newly redeveloped training facility being ready next year, questions remain about the team's future.

The Queens Classic

With roughly two weeks to go before the Queens Classic against the Washington Spirit at Citi Field, attendance figures are starting to take shape. Ticket sales have surpassed 29,000, meaning it has already surpassed the New York City attendance record for a women’s sporting event in tickets, beating the 28,144 fans for Coco Gauff’s iconic victory during the U.S. Open Women’s Singles Final in 2023.

While Gotham's decision whether to move to Queens will not hinge on the success of this one match, this is certainly a positive sign if they decide to go forward with the move.

Gotham FC player moves

The past few weeks have seen a flurry of player movement for Gotham. Lilly Reale was traded to Boston Legacy FC, Sam Kerr returned to the club following her contract expiring with Chelsea, Emily Sonnett was signed to a two-year contract extension, and long-time forward and team cult hero Katie Lampson announced her retirement, effective immediately. This leaves Gotham with 24 players on the active roster, with one player, Taryn Torres, expected to be added at some point later this season.

As of now, the NJ/NY side has one spot left to make an additional player acquisition if they choose to do so. It is not unfair to assume a move for a defender could be on the horizon. With the Reale trade, the backline is looking noticeably thin, but as of now, it does not seem like any new acquisitions are imminent.

Free agency for Gotham FC

NWSL free agency is now open as of July 1, and Gotham FC has a number of free agents yet to be re-signed. Goalkeepers Ann-Katrin Berger and Shelby Hogan, defenders Jess Carter and Mandy Freeman, midfielders Rose Lavelle and Talia Sommer, and forwards Khyah Harper, Andrea Kitahata and Midge Purce all currently have contracts that will expire at the end of the year. While there has been language in past years saying that the club remains in negotiations with their pending free agents, that is noticeably missing from this press release.

Now, this does not mean that all of these players are guaranteed to leave; it could just be a procedural change in how they write these press releases. It will be a surprise, though, if all of those players return for 2027, but it will be equally as surprising if none of them return for 2027 either.

Previewing Gotham FC's second half and a new formation?

Gotham has a very tough return to NWSL play with four of their first five games coming against the top four teams in the table, with three of those games away from home. It will be a very good test for the Bats to see just how well they are able to stack up against the best of the best in this league, especially as these will be their first meetings with each of these first four teams. And it will be tough overall since the ladies will not play a game at Sports Illustrated Stadium until August 7.

During the Challenge Cup, there was also an interesting new tactical play from Gotham. When in possession and building out from the back, Gotham assumed a three-defender setup, something that fans will be used to seeing.

However, this time, instead of Jaelin Howell dropping into the backline, she stayed in the midfield, with the backline now consisting of Tierna Davidson, Sonnett, and Carter. This saw Guro Reiten assume more of a wingback role with Dudley playing as the wide player on the right, but without as many defensive responsibilities.

This was something Gotham tried in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup in Mexico, but given the circumstances of the game, including the altitude and Sonnett not being back to full fitness just yet, it did not go well. They reverted back to type against the Houston Dash, where they managed a 1-0 win, but have now tried this new look in the Challenge Cup. It will be interesting to see if this carries over into the regular season and potentially changes how Gotham FC decides to build their roster moving forward.