Gotham FC’s long-term ‘puzzle.’ Plus: USWNT goalie feeds Komodo dragons

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Ever wonder what was going through former Arsenal defender Alex Scott’s mind during that historic 2007 Champions League-winning goal? Well, we asked her! In today’s Full Time:

🏆 How to build a champion

📺 What to watch this week

🦎 Komodo dragons? Uh, yup

Let’s start with a budding dynasty …

NWSL Recap

How to build a champion roster

It’s one thing to win an NWSL Championship. But how do you sustain that success year-over-year? That’s the question that weighs on Yael Averbuch West’s mind as she navigates Gotham FC’s future after the club claimed two league trophies in three years.

“That part of the project is really what I’m focused on,” Averbuch West, the club’s general manager and head of soccer operations, told The Athletic for a recent story. “How do we make this the norm at Gotham? That’s the puzzle now.”

To sustain success means mastering how to build a championship roster within the strict confines of the NWSL’s salary cap and other limitations.

Gotham recently signed former Chelsea star Guro Reiten, one of the best left-footed wingers in the world. Her arrival, on an initial loan until July before a free-agent move in the summer, will boost a team bursting with talent — from World Cup winners and Olympic medalists, to promising young stars.

As Averbuch West explained, the club is always finding ways to capitalize on existing rules and make the most of new ones, including the High Impact Player rule.

It means Gotham is “always building, never finished” — the club’s mantra. It’s why, when players were on the steps of City Hall accepting the keys to the city last November, Richard Gunney, the club’s director of scouting and roster development, was in California scouting a potential backup for Gotham rookie Jordynn Dudley.

“We do a really good job of making match day fancy and glamorous,” Gunney said, “but the reality is behind the scenes, you want it to be as boring, as consistent, as predictable as possible.”

More about Gotham’s roster puzzle in Melanie’s full story (with Megan Feringa).

16 moments from NWSL’s weekend

After two NWSL weekends, only three teams — Angel City, Houston Dash and Portland Thorns — have won back-to-back games.

Twenty-one goals were scored across 16 fixtures this week. We saw players score their first NWSL goals and more veteran returns. It was a whirlwind three days.

Before the first slate of midweek games begins, with five matches on Wednesday, we’re back with 16 top moments from the weekend:

1 and 2) Denver Summit earned their first point as a club following a 1-1 draw with Orlando Pride. Striker Barbra Banda scored her second goal of the season on her 26th birthday to earn a point for Orlando. 3 and 4) In a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal, Racing Louisville entered halftime against Washington Spirit with a 2-0 lead, but Sofia Cantore and Leicy Santos rallied for a late comeback in true Spirit fashion. We also saw the return of veteran midfielder Andi Sullivan after 17 months away from the pitch.

5) The 44th edition of the Cascadia Rivalry was an instant classic, after a shorthanded Portland beat Seattle Reign despite having only nine players for most of the second half. 6) With four red cards issued this weekend, the red card tally is up to six in the first two weeks of the 2026 season.

7) Houston Dash routed Boston Legacy 3-0 — despite the unexpected exits of midfielder Delanie Sheehan and forward Yazmeen Ryan to Denver. Houston enjoyed a brace from Kiki Van Zanten and a goal from Kat Rader. 8) Gotham and North Carolina Courage played to a scoreless draw at Sports Illustrated Stadium, with the highlight of the match being the long-awaited return of Tierna Davidson after 358 days.

9, 10 and 11) Italy’s captain Cristiana Girelli made her NWSL debut with Bay FC, despite a not-so-glowing performance against Angel City. Angel City remains at the top of the league table on goal differential, thanks to a brace from forward Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir and a lone goal from defender Gisele Thompson at PayPal Park on Saturday.

For 12 and 13), we have the Chicago Stars — who finished dead last in 2025 — upsetting the reigning Shield winners, Kansas City Current, 2-1, thanks to a debut goal by rookie Tessa Dellarose and a stunning header from Jordyn Huitema.

14, 15 and 16) Despite Utah Royals falling to San Diego Wave, the club made history with Lara Prašnikar’s first NWSL goal — the first by a Slovenian in the league. San Diego came out on top thanks to an early goal from Dudinha, capitalizing on a defensive error by Utah, and a late goal from rookie Lia Godfrey.

What to Watch: UWCL returns, plus a midweek NWSL interlude

Midweek social plans are always a bit ambitious, and this is a good week to consider postponing or inviting folks over, because Tuesday and especially Wednesday are chock full of footy.

Tuesday marks the return of the Champions League, and every first-leg quarterfinal matchup is appointment viewing (all streaming on Paramount+), particularly for those who fancy a derby. The first, between Arsenal and Chelsea, takes place tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET following a Wolfsburg-Lyon matchup that is not a storied rivalry but is nonetheless worth following (1:45 p.m. ET). The French side is the clear favorite, but Wolfsburg’s comeback push through the knockout stage shouldn’t be overlooked.Wednesday in Europe opens with an El Clásico (1:45 p.m. ET), followed by another tantalizing non-derby between Manchester United and Bayern Munich (4 p.m. ET).

And then there’s the five-game slate of NWSL fixtures Wednesday evening. It’s still early in the season, but I can’t help but feel the pressure on Orlando to right the ship against Chicago after splitting points last weekend with expansion side Denver (8 p.m. ET, Victory+). And while the Portland and San Diego match couldn’t possibly carry the same heat as the last Cascadia Rivalry, it’ll be a great test for both sides coming off recent wins (10 p.m. ET, CBS Sports).

News to Know

U.S. Soccer pay revealed

USWNT boss Emma Hayes made nearly $1.5 million in her first 10 months of work, according to a U.S. Soccer Federation tax filing published this week — $744,557 in base pay plus $700,000 in “bonus & incentive compensation.” Men’s national team coach Mauricio Pochettino made roughly $5 million in his first seven months on the job. One of those coaches has an Olympic gold medal …

New female coach mandate

FIFA is taking a swing at the glass ceiling, mandating that every women’s team include at least two women on staff, with one of them serving either as head or assistant coach. The rule takes effect immediately across all FIFA competitions, beginning with the Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland this September.

2028 Olympic schedule takes shape

Hard to believe we are already talking about the 2028 L.A. Olympics, but here we are! The women’s tournament will kick off July 11, three days before the opening ceremony, with games at NYCFC’s Etihad Park, Columbus Crew’s ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, St. Louis City’s Energizer Park and Nashville’s Geodis Park in addition to the San Jose Earthquakes’ PayPal Park and San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium, organizers announced last week. We already knew the Rose Bowl in Pasadena would host the gold medal game. Full venue breakdown here.

NWSL’s NYC debut

Following big wins in Chicago and the Bay Area, Gotham FC is upping the bets, taking one of its own marquee matchups to a ballpark. The Bats are swooping into baseball territory to face the Washington Spirit on July 15 at the New York Mets’ home, Citi Field in Queens — the league’s first game in New York City. The stadium seats 41,800.

First Looks

A notable hobby: Welcome to USWNT goalie Phallon Tullis-Joyce’s world, where playing for Manchester United one day can be followed by feeding Komodo dragons the next. Tullis-Joyce explained her passion for conservation and how it intersects with her day job in an interview with Megan Feringa. Read the full story (and see more photos) here.

Asian Cup results: Australia’s wait for an Asian Cup win continues after Saturday’s 1-0 loss in front of a home crowd to Japan, its third loss in the final after also losing 1-0 to the Japanese side in the 2014 and 2018 editions. The upside: Australia secured a 2027 World Cup spot by winning in the quarterfinals.

NWSL 4.0 is here: The league is experiencing accelerated expansion and financial momentum, as Asli wrote last week. New teams are backed by billionaire ownership groups, and franchise fees have climbed into the hundreds of millions due to high demand and limited availability. But infrastructure improvements are also central to growth.

Transfer speed-dating? TransferRoom, a digital marketplace where clubs can advertise, buy and sell players worldwide, launched a new women’s program this year and hosted its first in-person speed-dating-style forum for it last month. Charlotte Harpur explored whether the effort can help combat the opacity plaguing women’s transfer windows.

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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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