2025 Season Preview Part 1: 2024 Season Review

We’ll be running a three-part season preview series this week, before jumping head-first into game-week reviews starting next week. Expect in-depth soccer analysis, interesting data visualizations, and a breakdown of anything and everything Gotham FC.

With just 3 days until Gotham’s first game, there are a lot of eyes on the Bats as they come off the heels of their best ever regular season finish in 2024. Every NWSL season is different, and 2025 will be no exception. In order to understand how exactly the 2025 Gotham FC season will differ, let’s first look at what happened in 2024.

2024 Season Review

Gotham FC was carrying a lot of expectations throughout the 2024 season as a supposed “super team”, as the then-defending champions grew seemingly stronger by signing four coveted free agents in Crystal Dunn, Rose Lavelle, Emily Sonnett, and Tierna Davidson. The team also signed three other starting-caliber players in Sam Hiatt, Ella Stevens, and Cassie Miller.

The team largely lived up to the expectations, with a strong third-place finish in regular season standings, but fell short of repeating their 2023 championship win after a penalty shootout loss against the Washington Spirit in the semifinals.

Looking from 2023 to 2024, the team improved in 8 key metrics: non-penalty xG per shot, open play non-penalty xG, open play non-penalty xG against, big chances created, shots, crosses, long balls, and final third tackles. Interestingly, the team saw a decline in possession, dribbles, and passes per defensive action.

Because Gotham saw an improvement in both goals scored and goals allowed in 2024, what these changes tell us is that Gotham as a team became more efficient on the ball, requiring less possession to achieve its desired results. 

Overall, 2024 Gotham was a strong team, and was considered to be a part of the league’s emerging “top four” alongside the Spirit, Pride, and Current. With the NWSL more divided between haves and have-nots than ever before, Gotham was able to cement a place at the top.

But will that success continue into 2025? Big changes in the offseason and the departure of some of the club’s top stars mean nothing is sure, and as of now, Gotham’s fate seems to be up in the air, dependent on how well new signings can integrate into the team.

In the next two installments of our preview series, we’ll analyze the offseason and what those big changes, trades, and signings mean for Gotham’s future. Then, we’ll break down the profiles of every position on the field in Gotham’s new roster, letting you know what to expect and who might be a future star.

Keep an eye out for more of our preview series in the next few days!