Lavelle leads Gotham to 2nd NWSL title in 3 years

"SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Gotham FC claimed the 2025 NWSL Championship on Saturday, defeating the Washington Spirit, 1-0. The match, held before an announced sellout crowd of 18,000 at PayPal Park, saw Gotham midfielder Rose Lavelle net the game-winner in the 80th minute, after substitute Bruninha's centering feed rolled tantalizingly across the top of the box for the U.S. international to fire home."

"For Gotham, it was their second title in three years under coach Juan Carlos Amorós, and one that saw them prevail despite being the eighth and final seed in the playoffs. But Gotham enjoyed a storybook run to the title, eliminating the top-seeded Kansas City Current, as well as the Orlando Pride before defeating the Spirit in the final. With the win, Amorós becomes the third manager in league history with multiple NWSL titles."

"Much of the pre-game chatter focused on the status of Spirit forward Trinity Rodman, who has been dealing with an MCL sprain to her right knee for the last month. While Rodman wasn't listed on the pregame injury report, she was once again on the bench to start the match. She eventually came on in the 56th minute, but was unable to have much of an impact on the game, and was clearly less than 100%, lacking some of her trademark explosiveness."

Gotham FC won the 2025 NWSL Championship, defeating the Washington Spirit 1-0 at PayPal Park before 18,000 fans. Rose Lavelle scored the lone goal in the 80th minute after Bruninha's centering feed across the top of the box. The victory marked Gotham's second title in three years under coach Juan Carlos Amorós and completed a run in which the eighth-seeded club eliminated Kansas City Current and Orlando Pride. Trinity Rodman entered as a 56th-minute substitute while recovering from an MCL sprain but lacked full explosiveness. Gotham began the match aggressively and created early shooting opportunities.

Read at ESPN.com