Gotham FC Celebrates Championship with Ring Ceremony

The 2025 NWSL championship trophy gleamed brightly at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Saturday evening.

“Return of the Champions” lit up a large screen above the field.

One by one, the members of last year’s Gotham FC team stepped onto the stage where club owners Carolyn Tisch Blodgett and Ed Nalbandian presented them with their championship rings.

“I love it,” Lily Leal exclaimed while showcasing her ring. “It’s beautiful, a really pretty piece… Just amazing. I’m very happy with it.”

The ring ceremony followed Gotham’s scoreless match against North Carolina Courage, marking a moment of recognition for a team that carved its own path to the playoffs as the eighth seed. They claimed victory over the Kansas City Current, the 2025 NWSL Shield champion, before lifting the trophy in the Bay Area.

Ali Krieger, part of Gotham’s championship squad, addressed the audience, saying, “When you look around the field, you see the dominance, the grit, the greatness.” “We are witnessing the birth of a dynasty.”

Having won two of the last three NWSL championships, Gotham sees itself as an emerging dynasty.

Nevertheless, challenges remain.

Tierna Davidson, returning after nearly a year due to a torn ACL, reflected, “The goal is to maintain consistency, and hopefully that will translate into victories and more trophies.” She emphasized, “We prefer to take things one step at a time and are dedicated to doing things the right way. Last season ended well for us, but consistent performance is key if we aim for dynasty status. That’s what we aspire to, and we need to achieve that every weekend.”

Saturday’s home opener unfolded in two contrasting halves.

Initially, Gotham fell behind, but in the second half, they seemed to step up their game.

Gotham maintained possession, but creating solid opportunities proved challenging, partly due to Courage’s effective counter-strategies.

Courage outshot Gotham 13-10. Yet, Gotham managed to keep a clean sheet in their first two matches, with goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger performing impressively.

“Overall, I thought we did well,” Jaelyn Howell commented. “However, we need to generate more shots on goal. We can’t repeat last year’s struggles with scoring, and we all recognize that. We’re determined to push forward.”

Reale added, “It’s early in the season, and we’re still finding our rhythm and figuring out what works. We did learn from our last game, but maintaining our composure in the final third is crucial. As a team, we’re aiming to improve little by little with each match.”

If Gotham had secured a victory, Saturday’s ring ceremony would have felt more festive. Still, the atmosphere was celebratory.

Those not on last year’s squad watched eagerly from the sidelines, hoping to earn their own rings in the future.

Newcomer Jordyn Dudley shared, “Everyone who stepped onto that stage inspires me.” She added, “I want to give my all for them so we can repeat this celebration this year.”