Week 11.5 recap: Challenge Cup Champions

Gotham FC are officially first-time NWSL Challenge Cup champions following a 2-0 win over the Kansas City Current on Friday. A 37th minute penalty from Esther González and a 79th minute goal from Jordynn Dudley were the difference-makers in the one-off cup game. What led the Bats to success against one of the most lethal teams in the league?

Defensive discipline

Just like in the quarterfinals match-up last year, the key to winning this game was staying disciplined against attackers who, in captain Tierna Davidson’s words, “can take advantage of even a very small lapse in concentration because of how lethal they are.” The Bats limited Kansas City to six shots, three of which were on target—this is the fewest in each of those metrics for Kansas City since a 3-0 loss to the Seattle Reign in March. 

Davidson wasn’t wrong to call the Current lethal, however—their six shots still resulted in 0.82 xG and 1.20 PSxG. What prevented these shots from turning into goals?

Being bailed out by Berger

The game started out a little rough from the Bats. 0.59 of the Current’s xG (and 0.82 of their PSxG) came from their first three shots of the game. The first (and most dangerous one) was in the 8th minute and could have resulted in a very different game had it gone in.

Kansas City midfielder Croix Bethune strips (fouls?) Tierna Davidson and ends up with the ball inside of the penalty area. Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger appeals for the foul but still manages to pull off a crucial save. This one maybe should have been called a foul, but regardless it was a stark reminder to the Bats of how alert they needed to be in defense. Davidson herself noted that, “it’s having a really strong commitment to concentration.”

The next big moment for Kansas City came in the 30th. 

This time it’s Savannah McCaskill whose pocket is picked following a maybe ill-advised pass from Emily Sonnett. The Current attack is easily able to slice through a Gotham defense that’s scrambling to get back into shape, leading to a 1-on-1 situation for two-time MVP and current golden boot runner-up Temwa Chawinga. AKB once again comes up big with the save, and then faith, trust, and pixie dust send Michelle Cooper’s attempt at the rebound sailing over a wide-open net. 

Kansas City only had one more shot on target in the whole game, and it came before González’s opening goal.

It’s again a “lapse” in concentration (remember to play to the whistle!) that leads to the Current’s ball progression. Center backs Tierna Davidson and Emily Sonnett do a good job of limiting Croix Bethune’s shooting options, making it an easy save for Berger.

Kansas City’s final shot of the game came in the 52nd minute and it was a blocked shot from a set piece. The Bats were never going to limit their opponent to zero shots, but they did a good job of suffocating them when they had a lead to protect. And of course, Ann-Katrin Berger came back to the team with a bang.

“From back to front, we had full commitment to getting pressure on the ball, winning tackles, shifting and covering for each other,” noted Tierna Davidson. “Playing against a team like Kansas City, that’s what’s required for 90 minutes.”

Jordynn Dudley

Gotham FC’s most recently signed rookie has been making a splash. After earning herself four goal contributions in her six most recent games for club, she made her mark on the Challenge Cup final with a goal to lock down the trophy for Gotham FC.

Her fifth goal contribution for the Bats somehow felt like her realizing her final form at Gotham. She does it all on her own here, first by recognizing Kansas City center back Kayla Sharples’ misplaced touch and going in for the steal, and then by carrying the ball forward. Once she gets into the penalty area, she proceeds to make an absolute mockery of the 2025 Defender of the Year nominee before lasering a shot right into the far corner. 

In this clip, we get to see her biggest strengths: taking defenders one-on-one and hyper-precise finishing. We also get to see how being at Gotham is affecting her play, as she executes the team’s signature press perfectly. 

Her team captain had nothing but praise after the match. “The things that we see Jordynn do on the field are not surprising to us because she’s doing them day in and day out in training.”

“Everyone knows that Jordynn is really good and deadly in one-v-one situations and is effective on the offensive side of the game. But at the same time, it’s the other side of the game. That grit, that decision to defend,” echoed head coach Juan Carlos Amorós. “She’s such a winner and has the mentality of someone who has played a lot more than 10 or 12 professional games.”

The woman of the hour herself stayed very humble, noting that, “players like Tierna and all of them have really helped me and all the younger players settle in and keep pushing harder. Without them, there wouldn’t be me playing or having the confidence that I do.”

(Also, quick shoutout to Esther González for this excellent penalty to give the Bats the lead in the first place and allow them to suffocate their opponents without worrying about chasing a goal.)

Team news

Since Gotham’s last league game on May 31st, the club has seen a bit of movement on the player side. Most notably, reigning Rookie of the Year Lilly Reale got traded to hometown team Boston Legacy for $350,000 in allocation money and $50,000 in intra-league transfer funds. Reale is a talented young defender whose impact on Gotham’s 2025 championship run cannot be understated and she will be sorely missed.

What’s notable from this trade is the $350,000 in allocation money that Gotham received. Later that same day, the Athletic reported (and ESPN confirmed) former Chelsea striker Sam Kerr was set to join Gotham FC on a free transfer. The club made it official this morning. 

Kerr will join former Chelsea teammates Ann-Katrin Berger, Jess Carter, and Guro Reiten at Gotham, as well as former Sky Blue and Chicago Red Stars teammates Mandy Freeman, Tierna Davidson, and Savannah McCaskill. This will be a homecoming of sorts for Kerr, who played for the team from 2015-2017 and until this Challenge Cup game held the club record for goals across all competitions.

Finally, Gotham FC announced that the club and Emily Sonnett had agreed to a two-year contract extension, keeping the veteran defender with the Bats through the 2028 season. 

Looking ahead to next match

Gotham’s next game is this Saturday, July 4th at 8:45 PM ET as they travel west to take on league leaders San Diego Wave FC, broadcast nationally on ION. The Wave sit alone at the top of NWSL standings with eight wins, one draw, and four losses to their name. In official league play, their most recent result was a 2-0 win over the Chicago Stars. More recently, they won a midseason friendly against the Portland Thorns 4-3 on Sunday, June 28. This will be a difficult game for the Bats as they have to deal with the attacking firepower of Ludmila, Kimmi Ascanio, and former Bat Gabi Portilho. San Diego have also recently signed former Club América goalkeeper Sandra Paños who will probably be more effective in goal than DiDi Haračić . The Wave didn’t become table toppers by accident, so the Bats need to be extra disciplined and creative to contain this team while breaking them down.

Thumbnail courtesy of Gotham FC.