Familiar rival stands in Gotham FC’s way once again in their bid for NWSL title

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury took a trip down memory lane Thursday as she reminisced on last year’s dramatic semifinals match against Gotham FC.

She said it was a “great game, competitive.”

There were great saves on both sides. It was a physical battle with a fair share of theatrics. But that seems par for the course when these two teams meet on the pitch.

Gotham FC defender Jess Carter (27) clears the ball against Washington Spirit forward Gift Monday (21) during a game on Oct. 1, 2025. Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Kingsbury chuckled as she recalled the moment of Trinity Rodman mimicking the motion of showing Bruninha a card after the Brazilian shoved her to the grass while fighting near the benches.

Given these teams’ history with one another, expect Saturday’s championship match to be a dogfight carrying a little added emotional weight.

“I think Gotham, there’s now a little bit of a rivalry,” Rodman said. “So that’s exciting for us and the fans and obviously just the entertainment of the game.”

There’s the regional proximity of the two clubs that makes Gotham and the Spirit a natural rivalry. But the history between the two has added fuel to the friction.

Saturday will be the 44th time these clubs have met — more than any other two teams in league history. It’s the second straight year they’re meeting in the playoffs, though the stakes have never been higher.

Gotham has shed the underdog label after pulling off back-to-back upsets, including taking down the top-ranked Kansas City Current in the quarterfinals to earn their second championship berth in three years.

But Saturday’s game, at least to some, is about redemption from a year ago when the Spirit pulled the plug on Gotham’s hopes of winning their second straight championship.

In last year’s semifinals, Spirit midfielder Hal Hershfelt headed the ball past Gotham goalie Ann-Katrin Berger toward the end of regulation to send the game into extra time. Ultimately, the Spirit won in a shootout.

Washington Spirit midfielder Hal Hershfelt (17) controls the ball against Gotham FC midfielder Sofia Cook (21). Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

“Every time we play them, whether it’s in the postseason or regular season, it’s just kind of a crazy game — always,” Hershfelt said. “They’re a great team and we’re a great team, and I feel like we both bring a lot of intensity on both sides, so there’s always something. But yeah, I mean, they’re great to play against. We play similar styles, so I feel like it’s always a really fun competitive game.”

Meanwhile, the Spirit are motivated by the idea of unfinished business after they fell to the Orlando Pride in last year’s championship match.

“We do have a relatively young team, and I think having that first experience, like, now we have a culture of winning,” Spirit midfielder Paige Metayer said. “We know what it takes to get there. We’ve done it again, so now we know it’s not like by luck that we made it this far. I think there’s more of a belief that what we’ve been doing this whole year has earned us the spot and hopefully has earned us the championship.”

Saturday should be another spirited chapter of this rivalry.

“We’re two great teams and we have people who can gut out results regardless of how we’re feeling that day, or how things may be going,” Hershfelt said. “And I feel like that’s kind of what we attribute that to, just the talent that we have, and we have players that are able to put stuff away.”