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NJ/NY Gotham FC secured their place among the global women’s soccer heavyweights this weekend when they won the inaugural Concacaf Women’s Champions Cup.
They were crowned the best team in North America, Central America and the Caribbean after beating Mexico-based club Tigres UANL in the tournament’s championship game Saturday night.
Gotham FC’s offense was relentlessly attacking and frustrating the Tigres.
Ultimately, Esther González’s second-chance goal in the 82nd minute was all Gotham needed to secure the 1-0 win in Monterrey, Mexico.
“It’s a historic moment for the Concacaf and for women’s football in this part of the world,” Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós said after the win. “It was the whole target at the beginning of the year — not only to come here and compete, but to come here and win.”
Amorós said the team was “over the moon” that it did just that.
Gotham recorded 23 shots, with seven on goal, while the Tigres registered only seven shots, none on target.
González scored the winning goal when she found the back of the net off a rebound after her penalty kick was initially stopped.
“We really left it all out there and everyone really fought hard to the end,” defender Mandy Freeman told reporters. “We deserved the win and we really earned it.”
Gotham took pride in knowing they were bringing the inaugural regional championship trophy to the NWSL.
“It’s always great to win a trophy with your team this early in the season, and I think this will help us going into our league games,” midfielder Jaelin Howell told reporters. “It’s great to win as a team and represent NWSL in this way.”
Not only did the Concacaf Women’s Champions Cup victory present Gotham, the 2023 NWSL champions, their second major trophy in two years, but it also secured them a spot in what’s considered to be the top two women’s club competitions in the world — the new 2026 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup and the first FIFA Women’s Club World Cup in 2028.
Gotham join Arsenal, who won the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final on Saturday, as the only teams to have secured outright spots in the 2026 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup semifinals in January.
Wuhan Jiangda from China and Auckland United from Oceania have qualified for play-in games.
The final two open spots are for South America and Africa.
For now, Gotham are going to savor Saturday’s win.
“It’s really an honor to be walking back with a trophy and we’re just glad to have been able to contribute on the field and go to the Club World Cup for the first time,” forward Sarah Schupansky told reporters. “That’s an incredible step forward for women’s football and it’s going to be really, really fun.”
Gotham are set to return to NWSL June 7, when they host the KC Current at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
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