When the confetti rained down at San Jose’s PayPal Park in late November, Gotham FC general manager and head of soccer operations Yael Averbuch West took a moment to soak in the feeling of capturing a second NWSL championship title in three years.
It wasn’t long before her mind immediately began thinking about what’s next. Gotham FC’s organizational motto is “always building, never finished,” and Averbuch West embodies that motto in her daily focus and forward-thinking vision.
Averbuch West: ‘We’re Never Gonna Stop Grinding’
“Part of what makes us special is that we’re never gonna stop grinding,” Averbuch West told South Ward Central. “The second we win, people are gunning for us and going to be looking at what we’re doing and trying to prepare for it. So we have to change, we have to get better all the time.
“Part of my ethos is, yeah, appreciate the celebration. It’s important not to take that lightly. It doesn’t happen that often, but the work goes on.”
Averbuch West spoke exclusively to South Ward Central in a phone interview on Thursday. Her husband, Aaron, who serves as an on-air personality for CBS Sports Golazo and other family members, has urged her to slow down and savor these unique moments — like when Gotham FC were paraded through lower Manhattan’s Canyon of Heroes amid a sea of screaming fans and were awarded the key to the city.
“I’m probably not good at celebrating,” Averbuch West admitted. “I definitely took time to pause after this championship. I did enjoy that day at City Hall, but just like I try not to get too low when things aren’t going well, I also don’t get as excited as everyone else when things are going well. That is the feedback that I’ve gotten many times from my family. My loved ones are like why can’t you stop and celebrate more? That was a really special day, and I don’t take it lightly. I do stop and reflect on what we have collectively accomplished at this club over the last three or four years.”
Carolyn Tisch Blodgett on Averbuch West: ‘Her Ceiling Is Basically Infinite’
Gotham’s operating owner and club governor, Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, praised Averbuch West’s constantly striving nature. That never settle mentality is shared by Averbuch West, Tisch Blodgett, head coach Juan Carlos Amorós, the technical and scouting staff, and is apparent throughout the 27-player roster whenever the Bats take the pitch.
“Yael is one of the most successful people I know at what she does,” Tisch Blodgett told South Ward Central. “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.
“That’s in our DNA. It starts at the top. I’ve been told that I have very high expectations for myself and those around us. I think every single person on our leadership team would probably say the same things about themselves, including Yael and Juan Carlos.”
The Approach That Keeps Gotham FC Moving Forward
That never-resting mindset led Averbuch West to place a focus on all the possibilities that could unfold during the offseason in a meeting that occurred just hours before the 2025 NWSL Championship.
She gathered scouts and key personnel into a room and dug into the details of roster building, and was thinking several moves ahead like an experienced chess master.
“To show kind of how my mind works, on the day of the final in San Jose, I held a roster meeting,” Averbuch West recalled. “It was the day we were supposed to have our roster meeting, and we were like, no, we’re pushing forward. We need to be planning for whatever happens. I met with our group of scouts and the people who work with me on the roster, and we went about our mode of business because business goes on. Through the championship day, days after, business goes on. Other teams are recruiting, we’re competing with teams who are already preparing for next season, and we never want to fall behind.”
Part two of our multipart interview with Averbuch West will be published on Saturday and take readers inside Gotham FC’s player recruitment process and the philosophies that guide that process.
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