Gotham FC general manager and head of soccer operations, Yael Averbuch West, is on a constant search for the next generation of future stars to complement a roster that challenges for trophies across multiple competitions.
The elimination of the NWSL amateur draft has allowed the defending league champions to carefully choose which rookies are recruited and ultimately signed to aid Gotham’s quest for domestic, continental and international club dominance.
“We don’t end up bringing every single player we talk to,” Averbuch West told South Ward Central in part two of our exclusive interview series. “We have a lot of these conversations. We try to be very intentional about who we target to try to bring in.
“At the end of the day, I think we can tell pretty easily if someone is going to be a great fit for us because the players who are going to be a great fit for us all share the mentality that I had as a player, and we have at our club, which is that they still want to get better.”
The Next Wave at Gotham FC
Part three of our interview series with Averbuch West continues today with a focus on Gotham’s 2026 rookie class.
Averbuch West acquired Jordynn Dudley, a two-time first-team All-American who captured two national championships at Florida State, first-team All-ACC Stanford Cardinal standout Andrea Kitahata, USWNT youth goalkeeper Teagan Wy, who starred for the California Golden Bears and former Butler Bulldog and Israel international Talia Sommer.
The Gotham executive accurately pointed out that had the draft system still been in place, several of these signings could have been first-round picks for other clubs.
“I’m so proud of our class we’ve brought in from this last college class,” Averbuch West stated. “If you look at the old college draft, a lot of these players would have been first-round picks.”
Fast-Adapting Dudley Is Making an Immediate Impact
Dudley has adapted quickly to the challenge of starting in the NWSL. Back in March, Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós began describing the 21-year-old forward as a “very complete player” even before Dudley had played a full 90 minutes.
Averbuch West praised Dudley as “ruthless” on the pitch. The 5-foot-11 forward’s tenacious efforts, surging runs and goal contributions earned her NWSL Rookie of the Month honors for April.
“Jordynn Dudley is an absolute joy to have in the environment,” she said. “Jordynn is very shy. She is a woman of few words, but she’s really been embraced by her teammates and has such excellent qualities as a professional, and is extremely dedicated to the team’s success and to her individual development and improvement.
“Her personality on the field is very different than her personality off. On the field, she’s a killer. She’s so ruthless. She terrorizes the defense. Off the field, she’s truly lovely, and her teammates seem to really enjoy getting to know her. I love to see that dynamic in how different it is on and off the field.”
Versatile Kitahata Is a Perfect Fit for Gotham’s Fluid System
Kitahata has been a Swiss Army knife for the Bats. The versatile 23-year-old has lined up as a forward, advanced midfielder, holding midfielder and wing-back, showing incredible poise when called from the bench to play virtually any position.
“Andrea is up for whatever challenge is headed her way,” Averbuch West said. “She has a really open, growth mindset personality where she’s like tell me what to do, I’m going to figure it out. She’s been wonderful and stepped up to the challenge of whatever’s asked of her.
“The players who we want to bring in are all smart players and can figure it out. The way we play is very fluid. The players, regardless of their starting role, end up in different roles on the field. We do recruit versatile players. It’s a huge benefit to our club to have players who can play in multiple spots.”
Wy’s Youth International Experience Signals High-Upside
Averbuch West sees a bright goalkeeping future for the 21-year-old Wy, who helped the United States to a bronze medal at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
“Teagen is an extremely-high potential young goalkeeper,” Averbuch West explained. “While she’s young, she has significant experience with youth national teams and has been a mainstay in the youth national team program.
“We’re very excited to have her as part of our goalkeeper department. We have a really high-level, competitive goalkeeper department, and Teagan is just soaring in terms of her individual development. We have tremendous depth in our goalkeeper department, and Teagan has been a wonderful addition to that.”
Sommer’s Ability To Play Anywhere Is a Major Asset
Similar to Kitahata, Sommer can play in a wealth of different positions. The 22-year-old is a natural attacking midfielder, but Gotham has experimented with her at central defense and a host of other roles throughout the preseason and early into the 2026 campaign.
“Talia is very versatile – a really quality footballer,” Averbuch West stated. “We talk about Dre, Talia’s similar – very smart, very technical player. She’s seamlessly fit right in from the beginning of preseason. Both Talia and Dre did a really good job of that.
“You’re going to see Talia pop up in multiple spots on the field as well. She’s a player that we know we can rely on with whatever’s asked of her. She played some center-back in preseason for us and did quite well. She’s going to figure it out, whatever role she’s given and really is ready for the challenge.”
We’ll wrap up our interview series with Averbuch West with our final installment coming on Monday.
More Gotham FC Coverage
Enjoyed this story? Follow us for the latest updates! | Bluesky | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Leave a Reply