The NWSL’s NJ/NY Gotham FC won the inaugural edition of the Concacaf W Champions Cup on Saturday, defeating Tigres 1-0 thanks to a late goal from Esther Gonzalez. Gotham’s lone goal came in the 82nd minute, the opportunity first presenting itself in a penalty. Gonzalez stepped up to take the spot kick, and though Tigres goalkeeper Itzel Gonzalez made the stop, the Gotham player got ahold of the ball and scored on the rebound.
Watch the strike below.
The champions were dominant from start to finish, taking 23 shots to Tigres’ seven, but finding the go-ahead goal was easier said than done for Gotham against their defensive-minded opponent. Gotham had a golden opportunity in first-half stoppage time when Midge Purce earned a penalty, but Itzel Gonzalez stopped that shot and a batch of Gotham players were unable to regain the ball despite a scramble to take another shot.
For Gotham, the Champions Cup marks the latest accolade in a successful stretch of years for a club that was once a bottom-dweller in the NWSL. Since hiring Juan Carlos Amoros ahead of the 2023 season, they have won the NWSL Championship and the Concacaf W Champions Cup, and were also finalists last year in the NWSL Challenge Cup and NWSL x…
