Listen, I hear you Jaedyn Shaw -- "underdog, my ass" and all that. All postseason, NJ/NY Gotham has been pushing back on the underdog narrative surrounding the team's run from the NWSL's eighth and final playoff spot to Saturday's final. And yet, here I am, calling NJ/NY Gotham the underdog once more. Despite their seeding differences, the gap between Gotham and Spirit isn't a wide one. In fact, without a fully healthy Trinity Rodman, there may not be much of a gap at all.
The four most recent NWSL champions are also the 2025 semifinalists. If that sounds predictable, it isn't -- at least, not entirely. NJ/NY Gotham FC (the 2023 champions) arrive in Sunday's semifinal against the reigning champion Orlando Pride (3 p.m. ET, ABC / ESPN Deportes / ESPN+) as the No. 8 seed that just pulled off the biggest upset in NWSL playoff history.