It was truly a storybook season on the pitch for newly minted champions NJ/NY Gotham FC, but the epilogue is a work in progress.
Local fans who made the trip out to San Diego were treated to a thrilling, instant classic of a match where Gotham bested OL Reign 2-1 in the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League Championship.
Cloud 9, the Gotham supporters group established in 2014, made sure to honor their players on the field after the game, eliciting tears from Mandy Freeman, the clubs longest-tenured player. Fans from the tristate area packed into bars around New York City and New Jersey to watch Gotham do what would have seemed impossible for a club that just a few years ago played on a college field.
Upon the team’s return to New Jersey, fans took to social media, asking when celebrations would commence. After all, the 2022 NWSL Champions, the Portland Thorns, held a rally in their home stadium for fans just days after returning from the final in Washington D.C., and even had hundreds of fans gather outside the airport to welcome the Thorns home that weekend after their win. Even the Houston Dash managed a fan celebration after their 2020 Challenge Cup win.
