Gotham FC secures NWSL Shield with 2-0 Decision Day win
The top seed earned home advantage in the playoffs after outscoring Utah 2-0, while other teams locked in their playoff positions.
By Gabriel Qureshi ·
The NWSL regular season concluded Sunday with 16 teams playing simultaneously to determine final standings. Gotham FC finished at the top of the table with an 18-5-7 record.
Gotham defeated the Utah Royals 2-0 at home to claim the NWSL Shield. The victory gave the club the number one seed in the playoffs. This position guarantees home field advantage for all postseason matches. The team will host the Seattle Reign in the quarterfinals next Sunday.
Guro Reiten and Jaedyn Shaw provided the goals for Gotham. Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger recorded her 11th clean sheet of the season with two saves. Shaw called the achievement amazing and expressed the team's happiness at finally reaching the top spot.
The San Diego Wave secured the second seed with an 18-8-4 record. Defender Mimi Van Zanten scored the only goal in a 1-0 road victory over Bay FC in San Jose. The Wave will host the seventh-seeded Utah Royals on Friday.
Washington Spirit earned the third seed with a 2-0 win over the last-place Chicago Stars. Trinity Rodman scored in the 85th minute to seal the victory. The Spirit finished 17-9-4 and will host the Portland Thorns next Sunday. The Kansas City Current took the fourth seed after beating Racing Louisville 2-0. They will host the Angel City at home on Saturday.
Seattle Reign clinched the final playoff berth with a 1-0 home win over Orlando Pride. Jordyn Bugg scored in the 68th minute from a corner kick. The Reign finished 14-11-5. Their victory eliminated the Pride, who dropped back-to-back games to end their season.
North Carolina Courage forward Ashley Sanchez won the league's Golden Boot with 20 regular-season goals. She matched the single-season record set by Temwa Chawinga in 2024. The Courage finished 14-13-3 but missed the playoffs after a 1-0 home win over Denver Summit. This marks the second time in league history that the Golden Boot winner did not advance to the postseason.
Sophia Wilson scored twice to lead the Portland Thorns to a 2-0 victory over Houston Dash. Wilson reached a career-high 15 goals and became the first NWSL player to score more than 10 goals in four separate seasons. Angel City defeated Boston Legacy 4-1 to finish seventh, while the Chicago Stars ended their campaign with a 5-23-2 record.
Source: KNSD
