History has been made in the 2025 NWSL Championship.
No. 8 NY/NJ Gotham took down No. 2 Washington Spirit Saturday at PayPal Park in San Jose, Calif., to win the NWSL title, becoming the lowest ever seed to do so.
Gotham topped the previous record it set itself, as the Bats won the 2023 title over the Seattle Reign 2-1 as the No. 6 seed.
Though history wasn’t on Gotham’s side entering the game, let alone the postseason, the team had more than enough star quality to get over the line. Striker Esther Gonzalez, midfielder Rose Lavelle, center-back Emily Sonnett and veteran goalie Ann-Katrin Berger provided Gotham with a key piece in each line.
And, of course, it was Lavelle, the eventual Final MVP, that delivered the game-breaking moment when someone needed to step up.
In the 80th minute gaining some momentum, substitute left-back Bruninha showed off some stepovers before putting it back into the box. The ball cleared several players, but made its way to Lavelle for a clean look at goal. And Lavelle turned in a beauty with her strong left foot.
Washington threw what it could in hopes of equalizing at the death to send the game to extra time, but a key chance never arrived.
In fact, Washington ended the game without a single shot on target despite seven attempts. Gotham had three shots on target from 12 total, while no side registered a big chance in what was a grind-it-out defensive battle.
The Spirit ended the game with 0.49 expected goals generated, per FotMob, slightly upping Gotham’s 0.39. But moments win championships, and Lavelle delivered it.
To win the championship unprecedently, Gotham upset No. 1 Kansas City Current, the NWSL Shield winners by a large margin, 2-1 in the first round. Gotham then beat No. 4 Orlando Pride 1-0 to reach the final.
Washington got past Racing Louisville in a penalty shootout in the first round before beating the Portland Thorns 2-0 to make the final.
Trinity Rodman, who has an uncertain future in the NWSL and has dealt with injuries most of this season, came on in the 57th minute to try to deliver the decisive moment. But it never went Rodman’s way, who seemed to suffer another knock in the closing seconds as she appeared emotional while briefly heading to the sidelines.
It also marks the second straight heartbreak for Washington, who also lost the championship game 1-0 to Orlando last season. The Spirit’s lone title win came in 2021.
For Gotham, it’s the franchise’s second title along with the aforementioned 2023 triumph. Onto 2026…
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