Sam Kerr explained why Gotham FC’s constant pursuit of championships and winning culture made the club the ideal place for her to resume her storied career after leaving eight-time Women’s Super League champions Chelsea FC.
The two-time NWSL MVP met with the media on Thursday, days after she put pen to paper on a multiyear contract to rejoin the reigning NWSL champions.
With Kerr’s contract running through 2030, she’ll have an opportunity to bring more silverware to Gotham, which captured the NWSL championship and inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup last season and won the 2026 NWSL Challenge Cup last Friday.
Kerr Details Her Decision to Join Gotham FC
“One of the main reasons I joined Gotham was because I felt like it was the closest environment to Chelsea,” Kerr stated. “It’s a club that is always aspiring to win something – win games, win trophies, win whatever they can.”
At 32, Kerr is still driven as ever to remain at the top of the goalscoring charts. She believes that Gotham’s collection of talented stars, which includes former Chelsea teammates Ann-Katrin Berger, Guro Reiten and Jess Carter and two-time NWSL champion head coach Juan Carlos Amorós, will help create an environment for her to continue thriving.
Kerr Declares She Hasn’t Lost Her Competitive Edge
“I haven’t lost my competitive edge yet,” Kerr said. “I wanted to win things, I wanted to be part of a winning culture, and I wanted to be coached by someone who loves to win and does everything to win.”
“Gotham is probably the most similar club to Chelsea in its ambitions and what it wants from a season. It was kind of an easy choice. It also helps that they have some of the best players in the league and are based in probably the best city in the world.”
Two-Time NWSL MVP Excited to Link Up With Gotham’s Star-Studded Squad
Kerr is particularly excited to play with 2025 NWSL Championship MVP Rose Lavelle.
“I watched a little bit of them before I signed,” Kerr said. “Obviously, over the years, I’ve watched a lot of Gotham. Obviously, I watch Rose a lot, which was one of the key players I thought that I would love to play with here or would play well with here.”
Despite playing the past seven seasons for Chelsea, Kerr remains the all-time NWSL record goalscorer with 77 career tallies. She’s looking forward to linking up again with Reiten while developing chemistry with USWNT regulars Jaedyn Shaw, Emily Sonnett and Tierna Davidson, the latter of whom was her teammate with the Chicago Red Stars.
“Then obviously Guro joining was a really nice little touch on top because obviously I had some great moments with her at Chelsea. So to link up with her again is really exciting, but there’s lots of players that I’ve never played with that I’m excited to play with — Jaedyn Shaw, I played with Tierna [Davidson] back in the day, haven’t played with [Emily] Sonnett, but love her competitive edge.”
Kerr continued to name Gotham FC’s vast assemblage of talents, including mainstays like Midge Purce, who helped the club win four trophies since 2023.
“Midge Purce — there’s so many people that I could name, and then yet people that are just even new to the league that are doing really well this year,” she continued. “So there’s a lot of competition and I mean that’s what I like in a team and think it would be good for me as a player and us as a team.”
When Will Sam Kerr Play Her First Match For Gotham FC?
NWSL rules prevent Kerr from being registered until July 14, when the NWSL transfer window opens. The July 15 Queens Classic comes one day later, so it’s possible that Kerr could take part in the highly anticipated 2025 NWSL Championship rematch against the Washington Spirit at Citi Field.
“I feel really lucky that that’s going to be my first game coming back at Citi Field with a full stadium, back at a club where I had so many great memories,” Kerr said. “Hopefully, it sets me up for a nice future back at the club again.”
Kerr scored 28 goals across 40 matches in all competitions during her previous spell with Gotham when the club was known as Sky Blue FC.
It wouldn’t be surprising if she gets off to a hot start in her second chapter with the Bats.
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