Gotham FC Brings NWSL Trophy Back to NYC

This weekend was the National Women’s Soccer League’s championship game, one of the more lavishly lesbian events of the year. It featured gay icon Kelley O’Hara in an excellent shirt-and-tie combo; Megan Rapinoe inexplicably wearing a fuck-ass bob wig; the Stud Budz; and, of course, the two best teams in the NWSL: the Washington Spirit and Gotham FC. 

Gotham FC fought tooth and nail to make it to Saturday’s final, which was held in San Jose in front of a sold-out crowd. They were the lowest seed in this year’s playoffs and had to play their quarterfinal match against the best team in the league, the Kansas City Current. They beat them 2-1, then went on to best the Orlando Pride by a goal, and then won on Saturday by a narrow margin (1-0), thanks in large part to USWNT champion Rose Lavelle.

Rose Lavelle breaks the deadlock in the NWSL Final 🎯

(via @WGolazo)

pic.twitter.com/yEpTkAI8cD

— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 23, 2025

Lavelle scored in the 80th minute from a wild cross from Brazilian player Bruninha, who came on in the second half after Rookie of the Year Lilly Reale received a yellow card. 

Sadly, the Spirit was plagued by injuries both before and during the game. Trinity Rodman had been limited through the playoffs after recovering from an MCL sprain, and though she came on in the 57th minute, she struggled to make anything happen and appeared to be in a lot of pain at one point. Rodman said that she “definitely underperformed” after the game and appeared incredibly emotional. Last year, she went into the NWSL championship game against the Orlando Pride nursing a different injury (her back). The Spirit lost that game 1-0, too. Hopefully, Rodman takes this time to let her body heal. Her contract is up, and the NWSL plans to “fight” to keep the superstar in the league. 

The Spirit’s defending midfielder Hal Hershfelt sustained a left ankle injury past the 70-minute mark, and coach Adrián González himself later admitted she should have been subbed out then and there. Instead, Hershfelt limped off the field, where she remained for a few minutes (forcing the Spirit to play down a player). Within minutes of her return, during which she was clearly still in pain, Lavelle scored. 

The Washington Spirit could not answer Lavelle’s goal—in fact, they never even had a shot on goal, and the game ended at 1-0. 

It’s a huge bummer for the Spirit, but a helluva story for Gotham FC. Not only did they manage to claw their way to the top, but their win was historic—they got their second NWSL title in three years. Also, defender Jess Carter, who helped the Lionesses win the Euros earlier this year, is the first player to win a European and U.S. title in the same year. Lavelle, who was named MVP of the NWSL championship, lost to Gotham FC in the 2023 finals when she was with the Seattle Reign—but this year, she was on the right side of the NWSL championship dub.

Gotham FC’s post-win celebrations included Rapinoe putting the fuck-ass bob on Lavelle (the two were on the 2019 World Cup-winning national team), dancing to Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” in a bar while wearing ski googles, and parading through New York City for the first time. 

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