Ali Krieger hails the team’s experience. That, Gotham have in abundance, and it showed. Purce is by no means aged, but she has been battling on NWSL fields for years now. The bench is full of players with dozens of US national team caps.
We’ll wrap it there. Congratulations to Megan Rapinoe on a great career. Congratulations to Gotham FC on a great win. Congratulations to Ali Krieger for both.
MVP goes to ... Midge Purce
Excellent decision. Her assist on the first goal was spectacular. She followed up with a solid corner kick for a second assist, and she was dangerous throughout.
They saved the captain for last, and Ali Krieger gets a tremendous ovation. What a way to wrap a career.
Medal presentation time. They’re going in numerical order, and coincidentally, most of the players wearing the numbers 1 through 8 for Gotham FC didn’t play in this final.
Nice roar for Mana Shim, whose impact off the field cannot be overstated.
The broadcasters are telling us Gotham had run out of substitutes. But previous rounds of the playoffs have had more than three subs, and that’s all Gotham had used to this point. They must have used all of their substitution windows. That, or we’ve just seen a shocking mistake.
No matter. No harm done.
And Gotham are worthy winners. Perhaps it’s unconvincing to see the sixth-place finisher in the regular season lift the trophy, but given the parity in the league this year, it’s not as if any other team demonstrated themselves to be more worthy of the honor.
Gotham FC wins the NWSL final, 2-1
What a strange, compelling finish to a strange, compelling season.
90 +11 mins: The free kick hits the wall. It goes wide. Throw-in. How much time is left? Where am I? What’s going on?
It’s over.
I’m a referee, and I’m confused. I’ve been told in situations like that in which what would ordinarily be called DOGSO (denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity) does not actually deny a goal-scoring opportunity is NOT a red card.
And … Gotham can’t substitute! They’ve used their windows, I suppose? Betos can’t go in. It’s Nealy Martin, the defensive midfielder, putting on a shirt and going in goal.
It’ll be a free kick just outside the box. Every Gotham player is in the wall, it appears.
90 +6 mins: CHANCE! So nearly the equalizer on a wild play in which the ball bounced in front of the box. Haught comes out, but it’s not all the way to the box. Under pressure from Bennett, she handles the ball! It goes to Lavelle, who shoots high.
But it will be reviewed. She clearly handled the ball outside the box. It’s considered denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
(Even thought it didn’t deny a goal-scoring opportunity, because Lavelle had a shot at an open net.)
RED CARD to Haught. Here comes the veteran Michelle Betos.
90 +5 mins: Williams holds the ball against pressure and kills off another few seconds.
The Reign play it very directly, but Haught grabs it again.
90 +3 mins: Free kick to the Reign just inside the Gotham half. Gotham sits back, and Quinn tries a through ball that goes straight through to Haught.
90 +2 mins: Diagonal ball to Balcer, and she earns a corner kick … no, wait, she was offside. At least, she was called offside. Maybe not, as we see from the replay.
90 +1 mins: Lynn Williams is having a tremendous game as well, and she’s pressing in second-half stoppage time.
Correction: We’ll have six minutes of stoppage time.
90 mins: A violent collision between Purce and Balcer, and it appears both benches were up yelling for play to stop as Balcer is down. The players’ heads collided, and Balcer may have hit her head again upon the landing. Balcer wears a protective headband, and that might be a good thing here.
Five minutes of stoppage time.
89 mins: Katie Stengel, who scored the winner in the semi, replaces Esther Gonzalez, whose goal looks likely to be the winner in the final.
87 mins: Purce, surely the game’s MVP, neatly beats US national teamer Emily Sonnett, who earns a yellow card for fouling before Purce can get too far away. What a game she’s having.
86 mins: Elyse Bennett enters the game, replacing … Fishlock? Really? I’m not sure I’d take her off the field at this stage unless she’s broken something.
Not that Laura Harvey is someone I would ordinarily second-guess.
85 mins: Peter Oh: “The Gotham keeper is clearly wasting a New York minute every time she has the ball in her hands. So Naught-y.”
It appears we have GOT a HAM emailing us tonight.
83 min: The Reign dial up the pressure. For all the poise Gotham have, Jess Fishlock can impart some fear into any opponent.
81 mins: Offside against the Reign.
Allie Long, who honed her game in part in some hard-scrabble men’s futsal leagues in New York, comes in for Delanie Sheehan. Gotham just has so much experience on that bench.
80 mins: And then it’s a needless foul at midfield by Bruninha, undermining the point about Gotham effectively closing out the game.
78 mins: Possession for Gotham now, and they look as cool as you like. The Reign might need wholesale changes just to have swarming bodies to press.
74 mins: I started my day at Duke University, and it’s a Duke alum, Quinn, who is about to come on for the Reign.
Latsko just missed another good chance, this one on a long diagonal cross from McClernon. Maybe not the easiest ball to settle given its pace, but she’ll be disappointed not to put one on frame there.
And that’ll be it for Latsko, as she is the one who’ll depart. Fishlock will move into the attack, and she immediately goes on the offensive but is stopped in her tracks.
The crowd is counting the number of seconds Gotham keeper Mandy Naught is holding the ball.
72 mins: It’s a lull. The Reign surely need a sub at some point. The only one they’ve made so far was in the sixth minute, with Balcer replacing the unfortunate Rapinoe.
But it’s Gotham attacking, with Nighswonger shooting into a crowd.
69 mins: Sinead Farrelly, out of the sport for more than seven years, enters as a sub for Ryan. Can she win a championship with Gotham here?
63 mins: The Reign play over the top, but it sails long. Clearly a solid game plan at this stage
62 mins: Haught will stay in, having made the first save of the game by either keeper.
60 mins: SAVE by Mandy Haught, one on one with Latsko as Gotham’s high line is beaten again.
Haught is down hurt.
58 mins: Corner kick to Gotham, and Rookie of the Year Nighswonger will swing it in. Cleared.
Time to sub soon?
57 mins: Looks like a check for a possible handball against the Reign’s Phoebe McClernon, but that would be harsh. The ball was bounding around.
55 mins: Can we, once and for all, put an end to the myth that there’s no diving or embellishment in women’s soccer? Yes?
Gotham establish possession for a bit.
52 mins: The Reign call off the press for a bit, allowing Gotham’s defenders to pass it around and breathe.
Then it’s Gotham’s turn to press, and Huerta is forced into a bad pass. The Reign regain possession, though, and Veronica Latsko races into the box with the ball. She hits the ground. Reign coach Laura Harvey thinks it’s a penalty. She’s alone in that belief. Nothing there.
50 mins: CHANCE. Again, the Reign play it forward. It’s partially cleared to Balcer, who brings it down with her chest at the top of the box and fires just wide.
49 mins: Huerta’s distribution from right back adds another dimension to the Reign attack. Her cross this time is cleared and lands at the feet of Fishlock. The Welsh international shoots well wide.
47 mins: The Reign press Gotham all the way into the corner but let them off the hook with a foul. Still, the Gotham defense just hasn’t looked solid tonight.
46 mins: Did that seem like a short halftime break?
Kurt Perleberg asks my thoughts on the US women hiring Emma Hayes.
Funny you should ask:
Halftime: Reign 1-2 Gotham
In this most unpredictable of seasons, we’ve had an unpredictable final thus far. The Reign had the better of play early despite the loss of Megan Rapinoe, but Gotham conjured a moment of brilliance to take the lead. Then the Reign punished Gotham’s awkward offside trap. Back to the other end of the field, the Reign lost a World Cup champion attacker on a corner kick, and you just can’t do that.
45 +5 mins: Not a bad effort from the Reign on the free kick, but Gotham cope with the pressure.
45 +4 mins: Huerta plays a long dangerous cross from right back. Krieger cuts it out. Rose Lavelle ends up with the ball and is fouled. Dangerous free kick chance for the Reign just outside the box.
GOAL!!! Reign 1-2 Gotham (Esther 45+2)
Too easy. Esther Gonzalez is virtually unmarked in the middle of the box, and the World Cup champion cleanly heads the ball into the net.
Second assist of the game for the excellent Midge Purce.
Updated
45 +1 mins: Gotham with the corner kick, and …
45 mins: Haught comes out to clear the ball 25 yards from her own goal.
Neither of these teams scored much during the season, and each semifinal was a 1-0 decision, but this may end up 4-3.
43 mins: In the net, but Reign forward Huitema was quite clearly offside. That’ll add to the anxiety level for Gotham, though. They’ve had the better of play, but this high line against a team as skilled as the Reign … maybe we shouldn’t question the NWSL’s Coach of the Year, but this seems risky.
41 mins: Corner kick to the Reign now, and this is where they might miss Rapinoe.
The Reign keep possession. Williams is called for a foul on Huerta, who went to ground a bit easily, and Williams makes the universal signal for “dive.” Replay is inconclusive. Might have been some contact.
39 mins: OFF THE POST! AND THE CROSSBAR!
A Purce shot off the near post caroms out, and Delanie Sheehan puts the rebound off the crossbar. Nearly 2-1 for Gotham.
Updated
38 mins: Will we see a yellow card here? The Reign lose the ball over the sideline in their own half, and a defender kicks the ball away. By the letter of the Laws, that’s a yellow. No one seems to notice.
But from the ensuing throw-in …
36 mins: Another player is down – Gotham center back Lopez this time – and the teams take some time to convene with their coaches.
34 mins: Sonnett is down, but this looks a bit less serious than the Rapinoe injury. She had a leg thrust out awkwardly in a midfield challenge and wound up getting a boot to the leg. Surely not fun, but she’ll play on.
33 mins: Lavelle is such a dynamic player. One could make a case that she deserved some of the individual accolades that went to her national teammates over the last few years. That’s a discussion for another time, though. At the moment, just know that Lavelle has turned this match on its head, thanks in no small part to Balcer.
Goal! Reign 1-1 Gotham (Lavelle 29)
What??!! That came from nowhere.
Well, to be precise, it came from Bethany Balcer, the sub for Megan Rapinoe. She gets the ball just a few yards into the Gotham half, and she looks up in time to see Rose Lavelle racing through the middle toward Gotham’s high line. The pass is timed well, and Lavelle gets a breakaway against Haught. That’s no contest. We’re tied.
Updated
27 mins: Well now. The Reign aren’t the most explosive of teams, even with a healthy Rapinoe, and now they’ll have to chase.
They’re pressing effectively, though.
Goal! Reign 0-1 Gotham (Williams 24)
The finish goes to Lynn Williams, and give her credit for the composed touch, but Midge Purce just broke two defenders’ ankles to get the ball down to the end line and lay it back to the Gotham forward to turn into the net from eight yards out. Sensational.
Updated
24 min: Oh, this is much better from Gotham. In fact ….
22 min: The cameras have found Rapinoe’s fiancee, future basketball Hall of Famer Sue Bird. I believe the most descriptive word for her body language would be “bummed.” Can’t blame her.
The Reign knock the ball around a bit at the back, and Dickey looks more comfortable this time.
20 min: A bit more fluidity from Gotham now, perhaps growing into this match. The ball gets to Esther, the NWSL’s answer to Messi in terms of midseason acquisitions, and eventually to Lynn Williams, who shoots high over the bar on a volley attempt from 15 yards.
18 min: Kurt Perleberg asks what Rapinoe will do now that her career is over. Media hypesters have suggested president of US Soccer, but she’s simply not a detail-oriented pragmatist like Cindy Cone, the current president and a Hall of Fame player herself.
Rapinoe’s twin sister sells a CBD-based wellness product.
16 min: Yikes. The ball is played back to Dickey, the young Reign keeper, and she absolutely shanks the ball into the sky. No harm done, but that might give her team pause before playing it to her feet again any time soon.
15 min: Gotham again with possession deep in their own half. Can they find a way past midfield? No. No, they cannot.
13 min: Gotham bang the ball around in their own half, then lose it on a wayward pass to midfield.
Reign lost their marquee player, but they look the more capable side thus far.
10 min: Gotham string a few passes together, and Midge Purce ends the possession with a shot we’ll generally describe as “speculative.” Purce is capable, though, so they might not be unhappy with the idea if not the execution.
8 min: Redmond Grimes asks via email if Rapinoe pulled a calf muscle. So hard to tell. I’ve seen a lot of players suffer ACL injuries when they drop like that without contact, but this looks different. Can’t really speculate, though.
Gotham, meanwhile, have not yet found a foothold in this match.
7 min: The Reign’s plan of going direct to whoever’s on the left flank appears not to have changed. And Balcer looks dangerous already.
Rapinoe is limping near the benches, supported by two team officials walking with her.
Updated
Rapinoe out injured
6 min: Replay shows that Rapinoe’s legs just seemed to go out from under her.
Coach Laura Harvey is considering options.
You’d have to be a rather cruel person to want to see Rapinoe’s career end this way. But it appears that’s the case. Krieger races over to give her a hug, and Rapinoe manages a smile. And just like that, she’s gone.
The Reign’s leading scorer, Bethany Balcer, is in.
Megan Rapinoe goes down with an injury less than three minutes into the NWSL Final in her last career game 💔
— Attacking Third (@AttackingThird) November 12, 2023
She receives a standing ovation from Snapdragon Stadium pic.twitter.com/uwqG2epzMK
Updated
3 min: Patient buildup from the Reign … oh, never mind, they’ve gone over the top and lost the ball.
And … oh dear, Rapinoe is down. Not a collision. A cramp already?
1 min: What did I say about the potential Rapinoe brings to have some impact? The Reign find her in space on their first full possession. Her probing pass is smothered by the alert Mandy Haught.
Peeep! Finally, we’re off …
90 (or 120) minutes until retirement
The writers’ strike must indeed be over, because this script is compelling. Longtime US national teammate Megan Rapinoe and Ali Krieger will wrap their careers tonight. They’re both winners at the highest level, and they’ve both seen their relationships hit the tabloids. Whether the latter is a sign of progress is subject to debate.
Krieger has been on top of her game this season, named to the league’s Best XI. Rapinoe was named to the World Cup squad and had a dreadful time.
But …
For the last few years of her career, Rapinoe has been the equivalent of a scorer in basketball who simply gets in place and awaits her opportunity. Then she might miss, over and over. She’s not expected to cover a ton of ground and track back on defense. That’s not the point. She’s there for that one time she doesn’t miss – a penalty kick, an insightful pass, etc. It is absolutely possible that she could go out with a bang here.
Meanwhile, on TV, the latest to be interviewed in the pregame show is Eli Manning, best known as a Saturday Night Live host. And an accomplished quarterback. He’s an investor in Gotham FC, which has come a long way in a few years.
Kickoff will be … at some point.
Quick note: If you want to get in touch during the game, please email. I am no longer X’ing.
Updated
Lineups and notes
World Cup rematch: It’s England (Reign coach Laura Harvey) vs. Spain (Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amoros) again!
Goalkeeper coincidence: Mandy Haught (Gotham) and Claudia Dickey (Reign) each took over the starting role with six games left in the regular season.
REIGN LINEUP
The NWSL site is showing the Reign in a 4-4-2 with Rose Lavelle up front, but Lavelle is a classic playmaker, so for conceptualizing purposes, let’s think of her in a formidable central midfield trio with veterans Jess Fishlock and Emily Sonnett. FBRef prefers to think of Veronica Latsko up front with Sonnett on the right, but Sonnett is a defender who will more likely play as a No. 6.
No changes from their semifinal win. Note that leading scorer Bethany Balcer is on the bench.
GK: 30 - Claudia Dickey
LB: 21 - Phoebe McClernon
CB: 3 - Lauren Barnes
CB: 4 - Alana Cook
RB: 11- Sofia Huerta
LM: 15 - Megan Rapinoe
CM: 10 - Jess Fishlock
DM: 2 - Emily Sonnett
CM: 16 - Rose Lavelle
RM: 24 - Veronica Latsko
F: 9 - Jordyn Huitema
Subs
18 - Laurel Ivory
5 - Quinn
8 - Bethany Balcer
33 - Olivia van der Jagt
6 - Angelina
7 - Nikki Stanton
17 - Sam Hiatt
23 - Tziarra King
34 - Elyse Bennett
GOTHAM LINEUP
Also a 4-1-4-1, also some formidable talents on the bench.
GK: 24 - Mandy Haught
LB: 32 - Jenna Nighswonger
CB: 11 - Ali Krieger
CB: 77 - Maitane Lopez
RB: 3 - Bruninha
LM: 23 - Midge Purce
CM: 17 - Delanie Sheehan
DM: 14 - Nealy Martin
CM: 9 - Esther Gonzalez
RM: 18 - Yazmeen Ryan
F: 10 - Lynn Williams
Subs
1 - Michelle Betos
5 - Kelley O’Hara
6 - Allie Long
12 - Kristen Edmonds
19 - Kristie Mewis
28 - Katie Stengel
33 - Sinead Farrelly
13 - Mana Shim
21 - Ellie Jean
About OL Reign
Regular-season finish: 9-5-8, 32 points, 29 goals, 24 goals conceded (4th place)
Where they play: Seattle, Washington (Lumen Field)
Formerly known as: Seattle Reign. The “OL” stands for Olympique Lyonnais, their sibling club in France.
Coach: Laura Harvey. The 43-year-old Englishwoman was a prodigy who took over at Arsenal in 2010, then came to Seattle in a fantastic hire by the Reign. She has spent some time with US national teams and the Utah Royals, but she returned to the Reign in 2021.
Players who were in the World Cup: Angelina (Brazil), Jordyn Huitema (Canada), Quinn (Canada), Alana Cook (USA), Sofia Huerta (USA), Rose Lavelle (USA), Megan Rapinoe (USA), Emily Sonnett (USA)
Players in the NWSL Best XI (first and second teams): None
Players in Guardian’s Top 100 of 2022: Lavelle (33), Rapinoe (70), Jess Fishlock (81)
Top transfer values according to SoccerDonna.de (in Euros): Lavelle 225k, Cook 150k, Bethany Balcer 100k, Huerta 90k, Sonnett 80k, Quinn 70k, Huitema 70k, Angelina 60k, Fishlock 60k
Top scorers: Balcer 6, Huitema 5
Most assists: Rapinoe 5
Goalkeeper: Claudia Dickey replaced Phallon Tullis-Joyce when Manchester United made OL Reign’s starting keeper their backup. Dickey played the last six regular-season games and allowed five goals against 21 saves. She faced no shots on goal against a startlingly punchless Angel City team in the first round of the playoffs, then stopped all four shots in the semifinal win over San Diego.
All stats below are limited to players who have had significant playing time
Most passes completed per 90 minutes: Cook 48.3, Sam Hiatt 46.8, Huerta 43.4
Most shot-creating actions per 90 minutes: Rapinoe 5.29, Lavelle 4.84, Huerta 3.15
Most tackles plus interceptions per 90 minutes: Phoebe McClernon 5.00, Lauren Barnes 4.30, Emily Sonnett 3.82
In general: In a team loaded with big-name players, the hype will still center around Rapinoe, who’s playing her final game. She had a dreadful time at the World Cup, but she’s still a game-changer. She completed only 56.5% of her passes in the regular season, but she has been a risk-reward player for a long time now. She’s not there to be consistent or to be a defensive presence. She’s there for those moments of magic that she still might be able to conjure. The way the defense has been playing, with Alana Cook and Lauren Barnes in the center, one moment may be all it takes.
When healthy, Lavelle has been one of the world’s best playmakers for several years now. US teammate Huerta can key the attack from her right back position.
Coach Laura Harvey has waited a long time to get another opportunity at this elusive prize. She led the Reign to the Shield (regular-season best record) in 2014 and 2015, then lost in the final each of those years. Harvey and the Reign won their third Shield last year but didn’t reach the final.
About Gotham FC
Regular-season finish: 8-7-7, 31 points, 25 goals, 24 goals conceded (6th place)
Where they play: Harrison, New Jersey (Red Bull Arena)
Formerly known as: Sky Blue FC
Coach: Juan Carlos Amoros has been a big hit in his first season, winning NWSL Coach of the Year honors. He was on the staff at Tottenham through the 2010s, then made a brief stop at Real Betis before taking over as interim coach in Houston last year. The 39-year-old coach from Madrid, hired in November, joined mastermind technical director Yael Averbuch West in a makeover of the roster and an expansion of the technical staff that includes a data specialist.
Players who were in the World Cup: Bruninha (Brazil), Sinead Farrelly (Ireland), Ifeoma Onumonu (Nigeria), Esther Gonzalez (Spain), Kristie Mewis (USA), Kelley O’Hara (USA), Lynn Williams (USA)
Players in the NWSL Best XI (first and second team): Ali Krieger (first), Lynn Williams (first), Jenna Nighswonger (second)
Players in The Guardian’s Top 100 of 2022: Gonzalez (90)
Top transfer values according to SoccerDonna.de (in Euros): Gonzalez 210k, Maitane Lopez 130k, Williams 125k, Midge Purce 120k, Mewis 70k
Top scorers: Williams 7, Purce 4
Most assists: Williams, Purce, Delanie Sheehan 2 each
Goalkeeper: When Abby Smith was injured, Gotham turned to Mandy Haught, who started her career in New Jersey but went to Piteå in Sweden, where she was able to find the playing time that eluded her in the NWSL. She returned to Gotham before this season. Pressed into action in late August, she gave up eight goals in six regular-season games, then slammed the door with seven saves in two playoff games.
All stats below are limited to players who have had significant playing time
Most passes completed per 90 minutes: Lopez 45.6, Kristen Edmonds 43.0, O’Hara 42.3
Most shot-creating actions per 90 minutes: Purce 4.77, Farrelly 4.52, Mewis 4.35
Most tackles plus interceptions per 90 minutes: McCall Zerboni 4.63, Lopez 4.51, Farrelly 3.96
In general: Someone should make a movie about this team.
Last year, they were in last place with 13 points, six behind ninth-place Washington. In this year’s semifinals, they started seven players who weren’t with the team last year — including two midseason arrivals from Spain, Maitane Lopez and World Cup champion Esther Gonzalez.
One of the holdovers from last year is Ali Krieger, who is having one of the best years of her career as she heads off into retirement. The defensive cornerstone was named to the NWSL Best XI. She was also in the news recently for a high-profile divorce from former teammate Ashlyn Harris.
Amoros was named NWSL Coach of the Year despite a sixth-place finish. Jenna Nighswonger was named Rookie of the Year on top of her Best XI spot.
But the bench is full of fascinating stories and veterans who still have a lot to offer. Well-traveled striker Katie Stengel, another midseason arrival, scored the semifinal game-winner on an assist from national teamer Kristie Mewis, both of whom entered the game as subs.
Also on the bench are Mana Shim and Sinead Farrelly, the two players who kicked off a massive reckoning on coaches’ behavior with their sexual misconduct allegations toward Paul Riley. Shim, who hadn’t played since 2019, is now a law student and the head of a US Soccer Participant Safety Taskforce on top of being a productive substitute in five appearances. Farrelly, who had been out of the sport for nearly a decade, made Ireland’s World Cup squad and appeared in 18 regular-season games.
Story of the year: Extreme parity
Let’s look at the final standings of a few leagues around the world …
WSL 2022-23 (England): Chelsea won 19 of 22 games and finished with 58 points and a goal difference of +51. Manchester United wasn’t far back, with 18 wins and 56 points. At the other end of the table, five of the league’s 12 teams averaged less than a point per game, and Reading bowed out with three wins and 11 points.
Frauen-Bundesliga 2022-23 (Germany): Bayern Munich also won 19 of 22 games and finished with 59 points and a goal difference of +59, barely holding off Wolfsburg (19 wins, 57 points). Five of the 12 teams averaged less than a point per game, and Potsdam wrapped the season with two wins and eight points.
NWSL 2023: San Diego led the regular season by winning 11 of 22 games. That’s right. They won only half their games, eight fewer than the champions of England and Germany, and they finished atop the table. The gap between first place and seventh, the place no one wants to finish in a league that takes six teams to the playoffs, was six points. The game between first and last was 13. Every team averaged at least a point per game. Only two teams lost more than half their games.
So the fact that we ended up with the No. 4 seed (OL Reign) against No. 6 (Gotham FC) isn’t too much of a shock. Both teams nearly missed the playoffs, but so did two of the teams they beat to get to this stage.
And both semifinals were taut affairs that could easily have gone the other way. Both teams lost the xG (expected goals) battle 0.6 to 0.5 but won 1-0. Gotham advanced on a brilliant winner by Katie Stengel; the Reign advanced on a cross by Veronica Latsko that wound up in the net.
It all comes down to this …
Unlikely storylines. Coin-flip results. A wild season in the NWSL will wrap up in San Diego over the next few hours. Join us, won’t you?
Beau will be here shortly. In the meantime here’s Megan Swanick’s look at Megan Rapinoe’s legacy ahead of her final match today.
