Michele Kang on growth of women’s sports
Michele Kang walks the Women Sports Foundation’s red carpet and answers questions on her vision of women’s sports.
Sports Seriously
NEW YORK — Amanda Jensen didn’t grow up in Minnesota as a soccer fan. But after Gotham FC won the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League title, her wife, Melanie Jensen, lured her to the first game of the following season.
It didn’t take long for Melanie Jensen’s fandom to spread to her wife, and, she joked, “I probably know more than she does.”
Both were in line outside New York’s City Hall on Monday morning, anxiously waiting to celebrate Gotham’s 2025 championship.
The No. 8 seed, Gotham rolled to its second NWSL title in three years – defeating the Washington Spirit, 1-0, in the final on Nov. 22. Rose Lavelle scored the winning goal in the 80th minute, and was named the Most Valuable Player.
It was Lavelle who lured Tiffany Trockenbrod, a lifelong fan of Philadelphia sports teams, up the New Jersey Turnpike to Gotham. She soon became a fan of Spanish midfielder Esther Gonzalez, bringing a homemade cardboard sign reading, “Est-her’s the best-her” to the celebration.
“I fell in love with the team, the passion, the grit,” said Trockenbrod, who grew up playing field hockey in Brigantine, New Jersey, and coaches for the Medford-based Blue Star club. “It’s how I always envisioned myself as a player. If I grew up in these times, I think I would have played soccer, because I could be a professional.”
Gotham FC takes over downtown NYC
Following a three-block parade up Broadway on tour buses, New York City Mayor Eric Adams welcomed the players. Each wore a gold NWSL championship medal.
After speeches from team owner and governor Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, general manager Yael Averbuch West of Montclair, and head coach Juan Carlos Amoros, midfielder Jaedyn Shaw brought the crowd to its feet.
Shaw repeated the phrase that’s become Gotham FC’s latest meme, “Underdog, my a**!” Fans popped up waving towels again to chant “M-V-P” for Lavelle, and team captain Mandy Freeman, a defender who spent her entire nine-year pro career with Gotham.
Adams presented the players with keys to New York City, as he had with the New York Liberty following their WNBA title last fall. James Herbert, a 34-year-old from Paterson, had been at that parade through the Canyon of Heroes, and described the Gotham vibe as “more mellow.”
“Your team has made the city proud,” Adams said. “You shouldered the hopes and dreams of New York City and the Garden State. … You have inspired thousands of soccer fans and young girls and boys to believe in themselves, and be brave, be bold, and to be fierce.”
Growing Gotham FC championships
Founded in 2006 as Sky Blue, Gotham won the Women’s Professional Soccer title in 2009 before moving to the NWSL in 2013. Gotham shares the Red Bulls’ training facility in Hanover Township, and plays its home matches at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison.
En route to the title, Gotham defeated Kansas City – who Blodgett called the best team in NWSL history – in extra time, and defending champion Orlando. Gotham also won the inaugural Concacaf W Champions Cup in May, and will play in the first FIFA Women’s Champions Cup in January in London.
Wonjoon Jang of Ridgefield isn’t a Gotham season-ticket holder yet, but he planned to become one after seeing Blodgett celebrating with fans after the final. He bundled up for the hour-long celebration in multiple team scarves: the yellow-and-black of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, who won the USL title on Nov. 22, as well as Sky Blue and Gotham.
“The owner’s passion and commitment is what draws me to this team,” said Jang, 34. “I won’t pretend I’ve been watching every game every minute, but there’s nothing like watching your local team go to victory.”
