Quotes are translated from the original Spanish.
NJ/NY Gotham FC has been here before. In California, appearing in the National Women’s Soccer League championship match, having entered the playoffs as the last seed. And the last time all that happened, in 2023, they won. It was the team’s first NWSL Championship title, and it was Spanish striker Esther González’s first season in the league.
“[The 2023 final] is fresh in my memory and feels very similar,” Esther says. “The results weren’t great at the end of the regular season, but the playoffs came, and we were very determined. It feels like déjà vu because we come to this final with the same feelings.”
Esther has been a key part of Gotham’s road to the final this season. The 32-year-old was the Golden Boot leader for much of the year before an injury sidelined her towards the latter end of the season.
The Spanish striker made her first appearance for Gotham since mid-October in the team’s semifinal win against Orlando on Nov. 16, and she’s feeling good and ready for Saturday’s matchup against the Washington Spirit.
“Being able to finish the season on the field and having the opportunity to play 90 minutes [in the semifinal] against Orlando was a really good feeling,” Esther says. “I’m coming into the final with momentum.”
Entering the postseason as the eighth seed, Gotham had to knock off the Shield winners, Kansas City Current, in the quarterfinals before taking on the Orlando Pride to punch their ticket to the final. But the team never considered itself a typical eighth seed. Injuries marred Gotham for much of the season, and just a few narrow results breaking a different way could have had the team finishing in the top four. But Esther isn’t making any excuses. In fact, midfielder Jaedyn Shaw scoffed at the idea of Gotham being considered an underdog after the quarterfinal, and Esther agrees.
“I think that finishing in [the eighth seed] doesn’t reflect our true potential, or at least that’s how I feel,” Esther says. “It’s been a somewhat atypical season, but we’re not making excuses. Ultimately, we have faith in all the players we have now, and above all, we’re prepared and have a positive mindset, knowing that we have a great opportunity and we have to work hard because Washington is a great team.”
Esther’s teammate, Midge Purce, agrees, and while she sees some similarities to the 2023 season on paper, she knows that Gotham is a team built to compete and ready for this moment.
“I think to people looking in, it feels [similar to 2023] because we did a terrible job at securing our playoff seed, and that was unfortunate,” Purce said, speaking with the media ahead of the final. “2023 was truly a Cinderella story where we overcame, but I don’t look at this time now and think Cinderella.”
Getting it done against their rival
It was Esther’s magic in front of goal that clinched the team a championship in 2023, with a header off a corner kick from Purce securing the 2–1 lead against Seattle Reign. The team will undoubtedly be looking for their top scorer to recreate that magic. Thankfully, the Spirit is a group she is comfortable scoring against, having scored more goals against the Washington side than any other NWSL team since she joined the league in ’23.
“There are always teams you play a little better against,” Esther says with a laugh. “I don’t know exactly what it is, but let’s hope Saturday it’s the same.”
.@Estheeer9 with her first goal in front of the @GothamFC faithful 🫶 pic.twitter.com/Tm4rMGMvJ8
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) September 17, 2023
Taking on the Spirit—the team that not only knocked Gotham out of the 2024 playoffs with a semifinal win in penalties, but a squad that Gotham has faced 44 times, more than any other team in the league—is personal for Esther. In that penalty shootout in ‘24, she was one of three Gotham players to miss their kick, and this time, missing is not an option.
“Every defeat teaches you a lot, and that match really helped us come out stronger because now we’re in the final,” Esther says. I think we learned so much from that match, and it certainly made those of us who were there much more mature for this season, so that it would be different.”
This time Esther is hoping the team can take care of business without heading to penalties, not because they lack confidence, but because they are confident. They are assured in how they move the ball, dominate possession and bring their best selves during high-pressure moments.
“I really think we’re a team that approaches every game with the intention of winning, and luckily we’re a very competitive team,” Esther says. “We try to beat every team, and when we can’t, it’s difficult. In fact, I think we’re a team that’s quite difficult. With Washington, we certainly have that rivalry. The first game against them was very good; we won at their place, and then we drew at home too, when we were playing in 10, which also means we played a great game against them. And those games have also taught us that they are a great rival, but that we have many good things that we do, and that if we do them and we stick together and help each other, they will bring us much closer to winning.”
Although there are many similarities with 2023, including a rookie left back winning rookie of the year (then it was Jenna Nighswonger, and this year it’s Lilly Reale), Esther and her team are looking at the final with fresh eyes. The veteran players are making sure the rookies and the players who have not yet played on the NWSL’s biggest stage are ready to take this game head-on. This year, Gotham had its biggest rookie class, including standouts Reale and Sarah Schupansky, who have been significant contributors to Gotham’s success.
“I think we’re also lucky that our rookies always want more; they’re ambitious, they always want to keep learning, they ask questions, and do extra work,” Esther says. “It won’t be long until we stop calling them rookies. They are an essential part of our team, and we’re already trying to help them, but they’re at a great level and bring good vibes to the team. We are lucky to have a team with both experienced players and some younger players who bring that great energy.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Esther González and Gotham FC Look to Recreate Magic of 2023 in NWSL Championship.
