Tonight: Gotham battles Washington for the 2025 NWSL Trophy

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Gotham and Washington battle for NWSL Championship glory

Soccer season’s biggest showdown has arrived, as No. 2 Washington and No. 8 Gotham take the pitch for tonight’s 2025 NWSL Championship in San Jose.

• Both teams enter the matchup steeped in postseason experience, with the Spirit winning their first title in 2021 before falling just short of a second in 2024, while Gotham lifted their first trophy in 2023.

• “It feels like another NWSL game — we have competitive people on both sides,” Gotham forward Midge Purce told media this week. “And it’s fun. Stakes are high.”

Big picture: Despite entering as the No. 8 seed, Gotham insists they’re far from underdogs, while the Spirit also view tonight’s matchup as a heavyweight bout.

• “Both teams, we have different players but a similar idea — we all want to be protagonists,” said Washington manager Adrián González. “Both teams want to win the ball as quick as possible. We love pressing high. I think it’s going to be a good game for the fans.”

• “It’s two teams that are very good tactically, two teams that are going to study how to counterpart each other,” agreed Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós. “Then it’s going to be those moment of brilliance — certain moments where players take responsibility.”

Tune in: The Spirit take on Gotham tonight at 8 PM ET, live on CBS.

Spirit star Esme Morgan shoots for ‘the perfect year’

Washington’s Esme Morgan has already had a banner 2025, as the breakout England international returns to the NWSL Championship with the chance to win both the UEFA Women’s Euro and league title in the same calendar year.

• “It would be the perfect year, really,” the 25-year-old defender told JWS at Thursday’s NWSL Media Day. “I had the best time in the summer, achieved a lifelong goal, and ever since I’ve come to the Spirit, I’ve wanted to win the championship.”

• “The hurt of [losing] the championship last year really fueled that desire to want to improve,” she continued. “Now I have a much more relaxed state knowing that I’m well placed and well supported.”

Chasing a dream: The UK native joined the Spirit from WSL side Manchester City in 2024, looking to develop within the fast-paced US league — and catch the eye of the national team back home.

• She played a key role as a reserve center back in the Lionesses’s successful Euros defense, going on to replace NWSL Championship opponent Jess Carter in England’s hard-fought 2-1 semifinal win over Italy.

• “One of the reasons why she came [to the Spirit] was because she wanted to take a step forward, knowing that this league would challenge her,” said Spirit coach Adrian Gonzalez. “I think she’s done an amazing job, especially adapting herself to the type of games we have here.”

Digging deep: “My passion and desire to win this weekend comes not from losing out last year,” Morgan assured. “It comes from the love I have for this group and the desire to want to win with these girls.”

Read more: “How England Star Esme Morgan Found Her Fire — and Family — with the Washington Spirit” by Claire Watkins

Can Gotham’s Rose Lavelle finally win an NWSL title?

Gotham’s Rose Lavelle could complete her trophy collection tonight, as the World Cup champion and Olympic gold medalist plays for the one major title that’s so far eluded her.

• Two years after falling to Gotham in the 2023 NWSL Championship, the former Seattle Reign fixture now leads the Bats’ midfield, finding herself back in the title game after pulling off a series of early playoff upsets.

• “It’s kind of wild — I definitely wouldn't have thought three years ago that I’d be on Gotham playing in a final,” she told JWS this week. “It’s obviously been a really exciting, fun journey.”

Staging a comeback: The 30-year-old USWNT mainstay has been in tip-top shape lately, playing all 120 minutes of Gotham’s extra-time quarterfinal win over No. 1 Kansas City just a year after what she called a “pretty big surgery” on her ankle.

• “Transitioning into this Gotham team and [seeing] where she fits in, getting healthy in the beginning of the year — a 90-minute Rose Lavelle, that’s something really special,” Gotham and USWNT defender Emily Sonnett said of her teammate’s progress.

• “She supported me for the first half of the season when she wasn’t even on the field,” added rookie Sarah Schupansky, stressing Lavelle’s team player mentality. “And she didn’t only support me, she supported the whole team.”

High praise: “I’ve been playing with Rose for over 10 years, and I adore playing with her, and I adore her off the field,” said fellow Gotham and USWNT star Midge Purce. “I definitely want to see her lift that trophy — she’s going to be just fantastic.”

Read more: “Gotham Rallies Behind Rose Lavelle as She Chases Her 1st NWSL Championship Win” by Claire Watkins

NWSL commissioner says she’ll “fight” for Trinity Rodman

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman is defending the salary cap, addressing growing player retention concerns in San Jose this week — days before soon-to-be free agent Trinity Rodman takes the pitch for tonight’s 2025 Championship.

• “We want Trinity in the NWSL, and we will fight for her,” said Berman, after a report in The Athletic claimed that US top-flight outfit Gainbridge Super League offered Rodman a contract surpassing the NWSL’s limitations.

• “She is representative, or a proxy, of our broader point, which is that we want top players to play here,” Berman continued. “We believe we are already doing that, and can continue to attract those players.”

Big picture: A string of high-profile departures has put the NWSL’s hard salary cap under scrutiny — but Berman insists that it’s crucial to the league’s parity.

• “There are teams in other leagues that could compete in our league, but there are no leagues that could compete with our league,” she said. “Compensation is not the only thing that players consider when deciding where to play — we look at a whole host of factors.”

Bottom line: The NWSL also confirmed Berman’s multi-year contract extension, with executive committee chair Carolyn Tisch Blodgett saying, “[Berman’s] vision for sustainable growth, along with her ability to fuel enduring momentum, has positioned the league for long-term success.”

Availability issues ease ahead of NWSL Championship

After a season plagued by lingering injuries, both the Washington Spirit and Gotham FC enter tonight’s NWSL Championship match with mostly healthy squads, according to the most recent league availability report.

• Washington’s Trinity Rodman is “available and ready to compete” as she continues to recover from an MCL sprain, manager Adrián González confirmed Friday, after the Spirit striker subbed into the 90th minute of last weekend’s semifinal win.

• “Trin is doing good. She’s been, I think, improving so quick, pushing to be able to play,” González told reporters. “Fortunately, we could see her last week, playing some minutes, and she's doing great.”

• Gotham is also intact, with Spanish phenom Esther González firmly back in the lineup after the star forward came off a late-season knock to feature in Sunday’s semifinal victory.

Sideline support: Washington defender Gabby Carle is, however, set to miss her second straight match, after the Canada international injured her hamstring in the Spirit’s quarterfinal win over Louisville.

Quote of the day

Gotham midfielder Rose Lavelle
when asked what part of the 2025 NWSL season surprised her the most.