What we do and do not know about Gotham FC heading into free agency | OneFootball

Despite only being at the halfway point of the 2025 NWSL season, NJ/NY Gotham FC already has to start thinking about 2026. On July 1, free agency began for all players whose contracts expire at the end of this current season. For the Bats, they have five players who are currently unrestricted free agents going into 2026. They also have an additional loan player who is due to go back to their parent club after this season.

Gotham has already been at work, though, solidifying their roster for next season as they have already made decisions on the futures of three players in addition to the six mentioned earlier.

There are still plenty of question marks regarding the club's construction going into 2026. As time has gone on in recent weeks, more and more of those questions are being answered. And while less roster turnover is expected compared to last offseason, there are still numerous changes likely to be made moving forward.

What we do know about Gotham FC's 2026 season

Fortunately, fans already know quite a bit about next year. A large part of Gotham FC's core was already signed for 2026 going into this current season. Ann-Katrin Berger, Tierna Davidson, Mandy Freeman, Rose Lavelle, Nealy Martin, and Emily Sonnett all went into this season already under contract for 2026. Plus, add the likes of Gabi Portilho, Lilly Reale, and Sarah Schupansky, who are new signings that have played their way into key roles this season. That is a really nice core for next season.

Adding to that group are the re-signings of pending free agents Esther González and Jaelin Howell. Both players are key to this Gotham team, with González leading the NWSL in goals with 10 and Howell, who was acquired in an offseason trade with the Seattle Reign FC, is third on the team in minutes played in all competitions amongst outfield players. Between these two and the nine mentioned above, there's an argument to be made that Gotham already has their Starting XI for 2026 under contract.

In addition to the potential starters, key squad players like Jess Carter, Sofia Cook, Josefine Hasbo, Shelby Hogan, and Taryn Torres are also signed for 2026, adding a decent first group of depth for next season. One player who definitely won't be back for 2026, though, is Jéssica Silva, whose contract expired on June 30 and was not re-signed.

What we do not know about Gotham FC's future

As mentioned, there are some questions. Five players are currently free agents for 2026: Bruninha, Ryan Campbell, Khyah Harper, Midge Purce, and Ella Stevens. In addition, Geyse's loan from WSL side Manchester United FC expires at the end of the season. Perhaps the easiest of these five to nail down are Campbell and Harper. Both players went into this season far down the depth chart and were probably expected to have very limited playing time.

The NWSL is currently in the process of establishing a developmental second division league for 2026, where Gotham FC would be a founding member team. If this league does start in 2026, then do not be surprised if both Harper and Campbell sign with the D-2 side and end up being key starters. They could also re-sign with the Bats and be loaned to the second team. The remaining players, however, are much harder to pin down for next season.

Bruninha saw her league minutes almost cut in half from 2023 to 2024. She is on pace to see a big jump in minutes for 2025, but she has not been able to re-take her starting right-back spot she had in the 2023 playoffs. She's recently turned 23, so there is still plenty of development for her moving forward. Nevertheless, the Brazilian may look for opportunities elsewhere that can offer her a more consistent starting role.

Of course, Purce is still working her way back from her ACL tear at the beginning of last season. And while she has not produced much in the way of goals and assists yet this year, understandably so, fans are starting to see her continue to build back up to her old self. She may be willing to come back on another one-year contract, have a strong 2026, and try to cash in with a big payday for 2027, where the salary cap is expected to make its largest jump during this current CBA. Purce turns 30 in September, so the clock is ticking for her to get the big payday that she deserves.

Then, for Stevens, this is probably the hardest one to pin down. With her mutual option not picked up at this time for 2026, she goes into next season's free agency having a down 2025 after a career 2024. Despite so far being goalless in 2025, Stevens is still performing well, all things considered. She has had to deal with a few nagging injuries as well as not always playing in her preferred position as the central striker. And this might be part of why she does not re-sign.

With González re-signed and obviously the starting striker moving forward, Stevens could look elsewhere for not just a starting opportunity but also a big payday. With expansion teams Boston and Denver coming in next year, and teams like the North Carolina Courage, Houston Dash, Racing Louisville FC, and Utah Royals FC all possibly in the market for a goal scorer for next season, it will be pretty hard for Gotham to retain Stevens. Unless she's willing to take a below-market-value contract to stay, this looks to be her last few months in New Jersey.

Meanwhile, it is also difficult to see what will happen with Geyse. At times, she has looked like a real game changer, but that hasn't always been the case. With the team potentially having a large amount of turnover in their forward group and Geyse's strained relationship with her parent club, Manchester United, Gotham FC may be able to make her loan permanent relatively cheaply. That could be what tips the team towards keeping her.