Just Women’s Sports
Gotham FC set the scene for NWSL club’s 2025 season on Tuesday, dropping their official 24-athlete roster and new player-led leadership group while handing longtime USWNT defender Tierna Davidson the captain’s armband ahead of Saturday’s regular-season kick-off.
At 26 years old, the 2019 World Cup champion and 2024 Olympic gold medalist succeeds retired goalkeeper Michelle Betos as the NJ/NY squad’s captain, heading up Gotham’s leadership alongside fellow defenders Jess Carter and Mandy Freeman, as well as midfielders Rose Lavelle and Nealy Martin.
Gotham also removed star forward Midge Purce from her season-ending injury designation on Tuesday, opening the door for the 29-year-old USWNT standout to return to the NWSL pitch for the first time since tearing her ACL in last season’s opener.
The 2023 NWSL Championship MVP tallied 16 goals across her 46 career appearances for Gotham before sitting out the entirety of the 2024 season.
Gotham aims for successful 2025 behind refreshed roster
Following last year’s third-place finish, the 2023 NWSL champs saw a handful of big-name departures, prompting the club to adopt a more measured approach to this season’s roster rebuild.
“Change is normal in this environment, right?” Martin told JWS in January. “People have got to do what’s best for their career, but it hurts losing your friends on your team just personally, selfishly.”
“Professionally, you have to take it in stride and see how all the new pieces can fit together,” she continued. “How you can highlight new people’s best talent in the system that you’re playing.”
Once considered a superteam, Gotham definitely looks a little different this time around, but early season moves display the club’s interest in transforming steady consistency into a winning squad — with or without massively deep star power.
Gotham FC’s official 2025 team roster
- Goalkeepers: Ann-Katrin Berger, Ryan Campbell, Shelby Hogan
- Defenders: Bruninha, Jess Carter, Tierna Davidson, Mandy Freeman, Lilly Reale, Emily Sonnett
- Midfielders: Sofia Cook, Jaelin Howell, Rose Lavelle, Nealy Martin, Stella Nyamekye, Taryn Torres
- Forwards: Esther Gonzalez, Khyah Harper, Cece Kizer, Gabi Portilho, Midge Purce, Sarah Schupansky, Jéssica Silva, Ella Stevens, McKenna Whitham