Gotham FC president of soccer operations Yael Averbuch West stood before the media with an NWSL Shield winners medal around her neck after last Sunday’s 2-0 victory over the Utah Royals clinched the No. 1 playoff seed on Decision Day.
“I think the Shield has to be one of the hardest trophies to win in all sports,” Averbuch West said in the mixed zone. “The league is unbelievable, and every year you see teams getting better and better. So to be able to win the Shield within that context, we feel incredibly proud of, and we can still be so much better, so we’re not done yet.”
The 40-year-old executive who celebrated her birthday on Tuesday has navigated a season filled with challenges to assemble a resilient squad of match winners who could potentially become the first NWSL team to complete a single season domestic treble.
With the Shield raised and the NWSL Challenge Cup won in June, Gotham’s quest to repeat as NWSL champions starts on Sunday, November 8, against the eighth-seeded Seattle Reign FC. The quarterfinal match will be held at Sports Illustrated Stadium at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time.
How Gotham FC Weathered Significant Injuries to Win the NWSL Shield
If Gotham can make history as treble winners, it will be an incredible achievement given that defenders Emily Sonnett, Bruninha, Kayla Duran and Rookie of the Year candidate forward Jordynn Dudley all suffered season-ending injuries.
As the playoff opener approaches, Gotham is awaiting an update on midfielder Jaelin Howell‘s right ankle injury. The 26-year-old who set club records for regular-season games started (30) and regular-season minutes played (2,593) limped off in the regular-season finale and was wearing a walking boot on her right leg when she came through the mixed zone.
It feels like Gotham is playing the season on hard mode. In addition to the aforementioned quartet of season-ending injuries, 2025 NWSL Championship Game MVP Rose Lavelle, midfielders Taryn Torres and Sofia Cook, as well as longest-tenured Gotham player Mandy Freeman missed significant portions of the season.
A trio of 2025 NWSL Championship Game starters Esther González, Sarah Schupansky and 2025 NWSL Rookie of the Year Lilly Reale all departed during the 2026 NWSL season, and clutch performer Katie Lampson retired following the June Challenge Cup victory.
Averbuch West Credits Gotham’s Collective Effort
“We always talk about [how] it takes a whole team,” Averbuch West said. “Not just the players that go on the field, the players who don’t get to go on the field, the players who are out recovering from injury, the staff, who you see on the bench, the staff behind the scenes, the ownership of the club. Every little percent really adds up, and when the margins are so small, it’s those little percentages.
“We’ve had different steps throughout the year. We’ve had ups and downs, and we have an amazing group of human beings behind the scenes who are supporting each other through some of those disappointing moments.”
With Howell’s status uncertain for Sunday against Seattle, head coach Juan Carlos Amorós and his technical staff may need to again call upon experienced midfielder Savannah McCaskill.
“Sav is a winner,” Amorós said after the victory over Utah. “A big shout to her because it wasn’t an easy job. She was outstanding, performed really well, executed everything that we do, a lot of things that go unnoticed in how we defend and the positions she needed to occupy.”
New Additions Add To Gotham’s Winning Mentality
McCaskill is one of several additions who’ve strengthened Gotham’s winning culture along with Sam Kerr, Guro Reiten, Denise O’Sullivan, Meredith Speck, Leila Ouahabi, Tess Boade and Olivia Wingate.
“I’m really glad that people are now paying attention to what we’re doing and building, and players do want to come play here,” Averbuch West said. “We’re honored by that.”
Gotham FC majority owner and club governor Carolyn Tisch Blodgett has described Averbuch West’s ceiling as “infinite.”
“Yael is one of the most successful people I know at what she does,” Tisch Blodgett told South Ward Central earlier this season. “The more time I spend with her, the higher I think her ceiling is — basically infinite. She is so methodical about building a roster that continues to get better over and over.
“We’ve won the championship, and then she went and wanted to get better. Okay, our midfield needs a little addition, or there’s an amazing rookie that we have the potential to sign. Many people would win a championship and kind of rest on their laurels, and that’s not Yael.”
Averbuch West on Gotham’s Standing Among New York-Area Franchises: ‘The Tri-State Area Loves Winners’
For Averbuch West, who was raised in Montclair, New Jersey and went on to represent the United States women’s national team, the mission of winning and elevating Gotham is deeply personal.
“The New York, New Jersey, the tri-state area in general loves winners,” she stated. “Average isn’t a thing here, so we’ve always talked about that it needs to be world-class. We need to win to get people’s attention, to respect what we’re doing, but also to get others’ respect.”
Sunday’s quarterfinal match against Seattle will be carried nationally on ABC and ESPN Deportes. It will also be available to stream on the ESPN App for ESPN Unlimited subscribers.
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