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Gotham FC clinched the first-ever Concacaf W Champions Cup with a dramatic 1-0 victory over Tigres UANL in Monterrey, Mexico, on Saturday night, bringing the regional club tournament title to the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). It is the club’s first major trophy since winning the 2023 NWSL championship.
The game’s only goal came in the 82nd minute, when Gotham striker and NWSL Golden Boot frontrunner Esther González went to convert a penalty, after Tigres defender Jimena Lápez was caught holding and shoving Gotham center back Emily Sonnett in the box before a corner kick. Tigres keeper Itzel González blocked the shot, but this time, Esther González recycled the opportunity for higher value, rebounding the ball and knocking it into the back of the net.
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Both sides had created promising scoring opportunities early in the match that tested the back lines, but none were successful until the final few minutes. In first-half stoppage time, Itzel González saved a penalty taken by Gotham striker Midge Purce to keep the score at zero.
The Tigres-heavy crowd at the Estadio Universitario pulsed with energy as every crunching tackle or tricky call was met with an impassioned response. And there was a considerable amount of that; Tigres committed 12 fouls by the end of the match while Gotham committed 14.
Gotham finished the game having taken 23 shots, seven of which were on target.
“I feel like we really left it all out there and everyone really fought hard to the end,” Gotham defender and team captain Mandy Freeman said. “We deserved the win, and we really earned it.”
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Gotham secured their place in the final with a 3-1 win over Club América on Wednesday’s semi-final, which featured goals from Brazilian forward Geyse and Purce. (The third was an own goal.) The Portland Thorns, who lost to Tigres in their semi-final, beat América 3-0 in the bronze medal match on Saturday afternoon.
“I think this has been three years in the making and to finally have this moment to celebrate,” Freeman said. “I mean, it’s still not over, we still have the Women’s [Club] World Cup championship, but right now we’re really happy and excited.”
Ahead of Saturday night’s championship, Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós also acknowledged the team’s three-year project coming to fruition in this tournament.
“We’ve been working incredibly hard — some of us for three seasons, if you include the [2023 NWSL] Championship year — to be here in May, with the chance to lift the trophy next to us and write our name into the history of the game,” he said.
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Lifting their first trophy since 2023 could provide Gotham with the boost it needs to climb back up the NWSL table. They currently sit in ninth place, just outside of playoff contention, level on points with Bay FC and the North Carolina Courage, who play on Sunday.
The FIFA Women’s Club World Cup, originally set to debut in 2026, has been delayed until 2028.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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