The drama began when Gotham FC’s McCall Zerboni found the ball at the top of the box and calmly placed it past Tigres’ goalkeeper to the delight of the small crowd inside a cold Red Bull Arena. Opposing fans quickly responded in song, cheering their Mexican side on as they trailed 1-0 just four minutes into this game.
No one expected what followed: a constant back-and-forth, with eight goals scored in 71 minutes and the night ending in a dramatic 4-4 draw.
Wednesday night’s match concluded the first group stage of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup, the confederation’s first continental women’s club championship. It was a chaotic night that unraveled under a harvest moon in New Jersey, with both teams advancing to the competition’s semifinal round to be played sometime in May.
This is, as Gotham’s head coach Juan Carlos Amoros said after the match, a “very, very important competition”. His team’s second-place group finish means Gotham is now one step closer to clinching a spot in the upcoming women’s Club World Cup in 2026, a new tournament that remains very much in its infancy despite being just 15 months away.
The tournament’s creation comes at a time when women’s football is bursting at the seams. Club teams are travelling more than ever for international…
