With Crystal Dunn, Rose Lavelle, and more, Gotham FC is the NWSL’s new superteam

NEW YORK — When this winter’s NWSL free-agency period began, it was easy to see Long Island-born U.S. national team star Crystal Dunn heading home to join Gotham FC.

Then, as the offseason hot stove burned, Gotham general manager Yael Averbuch West threw even more star-spangled logs on it: first Tierna Davidson, then Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett.

At first, it didn’t seem possible that West would land all four, even as the NWSL’s new TV deal helped raise the salary cap a whopping 34% — from $1.975 million to $2.75 million. But she did it, and, on Friday, Gotham unveiled the quartet together in a glitzy news conference at Rockefeller Center.

Dunn is the biggest star on the marquee, between her local roots and her U.S. pedigree. Soon after the 31-year-old midfielder and left back moved east from the Portland Thorns, she was courtside at Madison Square Garden for her beloved New York Knicks.

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“Now being a mom, there’s a lot of things that play into happiness not only on the field, but off the field,” Dunn said of toddler Marcel, an Instagram celebrity in his own right.

“It’s been quite an experience to just be able to be around my family way more than I’ve ever been before,” she added. “And to be able to have all my worlds kind of come together is really special because many of us leave home. Soccer takes us in so many places, and we don’t always get to go back and play in front of a home crowd.”

For soccer fans — and not just women’s soccer fans — Lavelle’s name gets immediate attention. Her creative spark has few equals in American history, while coaches swoon over her elite defensive high-pressing. The 28-year-old will be right in the middle of the action, and you’ll know by the roars from the stands.

“It just felt like this was somewhere that I could settle in and be comfortable in,” Lavelle said, “but it was also going to push me in ways that I probably don’t even know yet, that I’m excited to see.”

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Sonnett arrives having recently turned 30, which gives her a “veteran leader” title she’s still getting used to. But while she’s known for her charisma, she’s also got a strong work ethic and she’s still evolving as a player. Her recent move from the national team’s back line to defensive midfield opened a new range of possibilities.

“It’s kind of funny to think about what I’ve done in my career — it doesn’t feel that long, but I guess when you look back at it, it has [been],” she said. “I always say, what can I bring to a team? Mostly, it’s a matching mentality, and hopefully bringing more people on board to have that winning mentality.”

Davidson might have the most to gain of the four. The 25-year-old centerback returned from an ACL injury last year but narrowly missed the World Cup while her Chicago Red Stars spiraled downward. A fresh start has lifted her spirits right in time to aim at this summer’s Olympics.

“I think this offseason was very helpful and healing for me, physically and mentally as well,” Davidson said. “One of the main things that I want to do is really enjoy everything that this short career has to offer and soak up every moment. Because it is so short. It is not 30 years; we don’t get to enjoy it for that long.”

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How did West do it? With analytical and personal touches.

It obviously helped that Gotham won the championship last year, capping a stunning turnaround. Four years ago, the team then known as Sky Blue FC played at Rutgers’ soccer stadium, a facility so spartan it didn’t have showers.

Just two years ago, Gotham finished in last place by six points, with just four wins and one tie in 22 games.

Now the team plays in the elite surroundings of Red Bull Arena. Its investors include the New York Giants’ Tisch family and sports stars Eli Manning, Carli Lloyd, Kevin Durant, and Sue Bird. Its roster already had American stalwarts Lynn Williams and Midge Purce, Spanish World Cup winner Esther González, and last year’s NWSL Rookie of the Year Jenna Nighswonger.

“If you told me this a year ago, I might laugh at you,” West said. “But certainly based on how last season went and our conversations, I felt pretty confident that these players would want to come to Gotham.”

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Spanish manager Juan Carlos Amorós is another key piece, a detail wonk with a dynamic playing style. He and assistant coach, Jesús Botello Hermosa, who taught last year’s players chess to improve their mental acuity, sent film clips to each potential newcomer showing how they’d fit.

“We not only talked to them about how good they are and how they can help the team, but also the things that we think we can help them to be better [at],” Amorós said. “Sometimes you try to convince the player [by] telling them how good they are. But every player, every athlete — and coach — should be aiming to be better every day, to be challenged, because that’s the only way you’re going to stay on top.”

Soon after the newcomers settle with Gotham, they’ll welcome Emma Hayes as the new U.S. national team manager. As club-country combos go, that’s as good as it gets.

» READ MORE: Emma Hayes’ hiring by the USWNT is official, as is how much she wanted the job

“I personally think I am going to improve so much as a player,” said Dunn, who played for Hayes at Chelsea from 2017 to 2018 and has talked with her “quite a bit” since the hire.

“I’m really excited to play under her on the national team,” she added. “I had so many amazing experiences with her at Chelsea. Now having her as a head coach and playing under Juan, I’m excited to step out of 2024 seeing all the new growth that I’ve had as a player.”

It’s mighty tempting to cast Gotham as a superteam, just as the WNBA’s New York Liberty are over in Brooklyn. West knows it and isn’t running from it, even as there are still two months before the season starts.

“We want this type of attention,” the northern New Jersey native said. “It poses a new type of challenge, but we’re ready for the challenge. I think it’s a more enjoyable pressure than trying to climb from the bottom to the top.”

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