En route to their second NWSL championship in two years, relatively new Gotham FC recruit Jaedyn Shaw was uninterested in the narratives that underestimated her team. The surprise win at the NWSL Shield-winning Kansas City Current in the playoff quarterfinals was not a surprise to her, and she made it clear with three quick words: "Underdog, my ass." Shaw had a point on that cold day in the Midwest, and almost exactly a year later, it still stands. Gotham are the NWSL's new dynasty, and their Shield win marked their fifth major title in three years, with a sixth in their sights as the playoffs begin this weekend.
The transformation was rapid for a team that has historically been a bottom-dweller, so much so that their 2023 championship triumph was a genuine surprise. They quickly built a title-winning team and reaped the rewards just as swiftly, but even as the muscle memory of title charges returns, Gotham will go about their next NWSL playoff journey differently. The target is officially on their backs, the onus officially on them to live up to the billing.
Gotham have played the vast majority of their playoff games as the lowest-seeded team in the postseason, winning the championship twice in those circumstances. Sunday's quarterfinal against the Seattle Reign, though, will be the first game they play as the unquestionable favorites to win the whole thing. How Gotham will play with the weight of expectations is entirely unclear, since they have never done it before, but it is a good problem of their own creation, one they have chased since the 2023 triumph.
Date: Sunday, Nov. 8 | Time: 12:30 p.m. ETLocation: Sports Illustrated Stadium -- Harrison, N.J.TV: ABC | Live stream: ESPN AppOdds: Gotham FC -150; Draw +265; Seattle Reign +340 Their blitz in the free-agent market in the winter of 2024 laid the foundation for their dynastic run, but the most fascinating feature of Gotham's years-long run of success is the evolution they have undergone since. U.S. women's national team defender Tierna Davidson has become the team's captain, her progressive passing ability making her a key fixture in head coach Juan Carlos Amoros' system.
Her club and country teammate Rose Lavelle has become a standout, but the star of the show has been Shaw, who has barely missed a beat since her arrival in September 2025. Shaw has 14 goals and seven assists in 35 NWSL games with Gotham, her wide-ranging skill set fully on display in Amoros' team. She has been a little bit of everything for the team's attack, which is arguably too reliant on her talents, but it is almost hard to fault Amoros for the approach.
The system has allowed Shaw to flourish, in particular bringing out a clear goal-scoring quality that is key to a Gotham team that values defensive work rate first. "First, I think the commitment they have to defend and the commitment they have to work hard for the team despite being some of the best players technically in the planet," Amoros said about both Shaw and Lavelle after a win over the Chicago Stars in September. "I think that helps the connection, not only between them two.
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