Aend of quintessence NVSL In a playoff rife with goals and last-minute upsets, eighth-place underdog Gotham will face second-place Washington Spirit for the trophy. Both teams have won the NWSL Championship once before: Spirit in 2021 and Gotham two years later. Washington is the likely favorite, but Gotham's talent cannot be discounted.
As we look forward to Saturday night in San Jose, here are a few key battles that could decide the game.
Anne-Catherine Berger (Gotham) – Aubrey Kingsbury (Spirit)
Unless we end up in a penalty shootout and one of the goalies misses one penalty, those two won't face each other's shots. But their battle may prove to be the most decisive of all.
Both showed performances worthy of the best player of the match in the first round. Gotham upset Shield record holders Kansas City thanks to a massive seven-save performance from 2024 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year Berger. In Washington, Kingsbury led the Spirit to a narrow victory over postseason debutants Racing Louisville, making seven saves of her own in 120 minutes and then two more to secure the shootout victory.
The pair faced fewer shots on target in the semi-final but had to make brilliant saves to send their teams through to the final. An elite performance from any goalie can decide the outcome of a championship.
Emily Sonnett vs. Washington's offensive depth
Berger is the reigning Goalkeeper of the Year and deservedly nominated again for 2025. But the fact that Gotham have conceded the second most goals (25) this season and have the second most clean sheets is because their defense has been superb. Hats off to experienced centre-back Emily Sonnett who has had a great year for club and country.
Spirit have an impressive line-up of players who pose a threat in front of goal; and Sonnett needs to coordinate their content. With injuries limiting starts for some (such as Croix Bethune and Trinity Rodman, the latter of whom is still returning to full fitness and came off the bench late in the semifinals), Washington has five players with four or more goals this season (Gotham has three) and has totaled 42 goals – second only to Kansas City. Sonnett's backline play will need to be top notch to limit them, with the help of key players around her such as centre-back Jess Carter.
Tara McKeown (“Spirit”) — Esther Gonzalez (“Gotham”)
Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amoros listed his leading scorer Esther Gonzalez as questionable on the availability report last week and then started her in the starting lineup. Victory over Orlando with a score of 1:0.. The Spain striker – whose four Euro goals made her the tournament's top scorer – finished second behind Temwa Chawinga in this year's Golden Boot race with 13 goals in 23 games. Sunday's semi-final was her first game in more than a month as she recovers from injury, but before that the typically sharp striker hit a dry patch and has failed to score in her last five matches. However, Gonzalez loves to score trophies. She scored the team's decisive goal in the Concacaf W Champions Cup victory, as well as the 2-1 Championship win over Seattle in 2023. Washington's Defender of the Year finalist, USWNT center Tara McKeon, will have to be at her best to contain Gonzalez – not to mention fellow Gotham scorers Jadyn Shaw and Rose Lavelle.
Gift on Monday and Rose Kouassi (Spirit) vs. Lily Reale (Gotham)
This final presents exciting tests on both flanks. One of them will pit Rookie of the Year finalist Lili Reale against Spirit's top scorer, Gift Monday, and free Ivorian striker Rose Kouassi. Kouassi will attack from the right and the young USWNT left-back has impressed for club and country this year. With left centre-back Jess Carter also playing a key role in the equation, Real will have to help limit Kouassi's creative bursts, which have been key to Gift Monday's effectiveness in front of goal.
Kouassi and Munday combined for two of the Spirit's three post-season goals, with Kouassi (who scored four goals and four assists in the regular season) assisting both times. Kouassi scored six goals in 2025 on Monday, the most since the dynamic duo of Yuki Nagasato and Sam Kerr in 2019, Opta said. Stopping them will be a team effort, but Reale's efforts on the left flank could be the key to limiting that interaction.
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Croix Bethune (Spirit) v Jaelin Howell (Gotham)
The battle in midfield between these two teams is a thrilling spectacle. Croix Bethune was named the 2024 NWSL Rookie of the Year and 2024 Midfielder of the Year after breaking Tobin Heath's single-season assists record with five goals and 10 assists. She dealt with injury early in the year but thrived in the second half of the season, proving her elite vision and creative instincts and scoring the second of only two goals in team history. win 2-0 last weekend. For Gotham, Jaelin Howell's defensive presence could be formidable, while also providing her own offensive threat with four goals and an assist (making her Gotham's third-leading scorer behind Gonzalez and Lavelle). A big game from either player will have a huge impact in midfield and Howell's ability to block Bethune's progress into the final third is a key competition.
Jadyn Shaw (Gotham) vs. Skeptics
20-year-old Frisco talent Jedyn Shaw has had his ups and downs with both club and national team over the past few years. But the versatile midfielder/striker is in excellent form at the right time for Gotham after joining the 2023 champions this summer. Amoros used her in several positions in the postseason and she played a key role in both victories. Shaw scored the first of two goals against Kansas City, as well as the winner in stoppage time against Orlando. The Spirit will be keeping an eye on her as Shaw seeks further confirmation of his post-game comments after dethroning Kansas City: “Underdog my ass.”
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