How Gotham FC went from rock-bottom to one game from the NWSL Championship: Hiring 'one of the best coaches,' boasting the league’s meanest defense and star signings Lynn Williams and Jenna Nighswonger
In 2022, Gotham finished bottom of the NWSL table, now, they're competing for a Championship title one year later courtesy of an offseason overhaul.
The 2023 NWSL Championship match, set to take place this Saturday in San Diego, will pit OL Reign against Gotham FC. The NY/NJ based side snuck into the playoffs in sixth place before beating two of the league’s best—North Carolina Courage and Portland Thorns FC — to reach the final. What’s even more surprising is that last year, the Bats finished dead-last in the league with just four wins on the season.
Now, fast forward to present day, and they’re competing in the NWSL Championship game.
The first step in the club’s dramatic turnaround was tapping Juan Carlos Amorós as head coach, who then undertook a revamp of the beleaguered team’s roster and built a new culture and on-field identity. Total buy-in from his players allowed the Spanish manager, who had served as an interim head coach for Houston Dash in 2022, to implement a fluid, possession-based style few other NWSL teams have attempted.
GOAL digs into how Amorós and his team completed the turnaround.
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