Gotham FC Wins NWSL Championship

Gotham FC won the 2025 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Championship with a 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit, thanks to a late goal from star midfielder Rose Lavelle in the 80th minute.

The match, played in front of 18,000 fans at PayPal Park, remained scoreless until Lavelle scored after a pass from Bruninha, giving Gotham the lead and the win. Lavelle was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

“Every winner is special,” said Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amorós. “We worked so hard for this moment. To become a champion is the moment the referee blows the whistle.”

Gotham FC entered the playoffs as the No. 8 seed, the lowest in league history to win the title. The team also won the 2025 Concacaf W Champions Cup earlier this year, making this the most successful season in club history.

The defense kept Washington from registering a single shot on goal, and goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger earned her second shutout in the playoffs.

This was Gotham’s second NWSL Championship in three years. Several players reached personal milestones, including Emily Sonnett, who became the first to start five finals with four different clubs, and Jess Carter, who became the first player to win both a European Championship and an NWSL title in the same year.

“I keep saying this is such a special group,” Lavelle said. “We’ve had such a tough season, and this was just the most special way to top it off.”