Gotham FC lifts CONCACAF W Champions Cup trophy after win over Tigres | OneFootball

On Saturday night, NJ/NY Gotham FC played one of their biggest games in club history. The Bats faced Tigres UANL Femenil in the CONCACAF W Champions Cup finals, playing for the competition’s first-ever trophy. They beat Club América Femenil in the semifinals to get to this incredible position. Thankfully, after an offensively driven performance, they won 1-0 to lift the Champions Cup trophy.

Notably, Gotham FC faced Tigres in their home stadium with a solid home crowd for the women’s side.  The teams last played one another in the group round to a 4-4 draw in New Jersey, and the NWSL team had a drastically different roster.  So far in 2025, the NJ/NY team has been somewhat two-faced with their play, either playing like a top-of-the-table side or one who deserves to be at the bottom.  The question was simple: which team would show up?

The lineup Juan Carlos Amorós put out defeated América, who finished in first place in the Clausura of the Liga MX Femenil season.  Gotham also knew they could beat top teams; they just needed to score.

While they should have had multiple goals during the match, at the very least, Gotham FC got the job done.  The Bats' 1-0 win was enough to lift the Champions Cup trophy, and they did so while dominating Tigres.

Gotham FC beats Tigres to win the Champions Cup

Gotham FC came out ready to play with two big attempts right away.  Jaelin Howell’s shot was initially saved, and Esther González tried to bury the rebound.  However, Tigres’ goalkeeper, Itzel González, got the stop to keep the Bats out of the goal.

But Tigres was also ready to play, and subsequently, the two teams mostly shared the possession for the next 45 minutes, give or take.  The Bats outshot the opposition 12 to four.  Still, it was quite different from the initial meeting, for six of the eight goals came in the first half.

González had the majority of the big opportunities for Gotham though, but struggled to capitalize.  She had a great opportunity after a beauty of a pass from Lilly Reale in the 35th minute, but swept the ball wide of the goal.  Then, in the 43rd minute, the Liga MX Femenil team gave the ball up and the Spaniard had a chance to put her team ahead.  But, her shot was blocked.

It would take stoppage time in the first half for the Bats to have the best chance of the first 45 minutes to take the lead.  Gotham FC was awarded a penalty kick after a foul on Midge Purce, who stepped up to take the kick.  When the whistle blew, the winger struck the ball to the right side of the goal, but Tigres’ González saved the penalty kick, sending the two teams into the locker room level at halftime.

Based on some of the recent games in the NWSL, there was no question some Gotham fans were likely wondering whether these missed chances would haunt them in the second half.

Yet, the Bats continued to attack with ferocity as they entered the second half.  There were some missed opportunities and lackluster chances.  But they kept the pressure on Tigres and began to dominate, where plenty of play occurred in the final third.  This allowed for numerous chances, including Purce’s 54th shot, which should have been more on target, and Geyse’s 56th blocked shot.

As time ticked away, it did not matter that Gotham FC was the stronger side offensively.  Tigres finally had their first shot on target in the 58th minute and still had some strong offensive plays, despite the lower amount.  It felt like whoever scored first would be the team to lift the trophy.

Hence, Gotham utilized their domination in the possession to help defensively but also increase their time offensively.  The backline limited Tigres’ chances by regaining possession and flawlessly defending for most of the second half.

But again, missed chances continued as the half progressed.  González had a perfect curler attempt in the 77th minute, but it went just over the top bar of the goal.  If it was slightly lower, then the NJ/NY side would have gone up 1-0.

Instead, Gotham FC again had the best chance to take the lead in the 82nd minute, for they were given another penalty kick.  Emily Sonnett was pulled down in the box during a corner kick.  This time, González stepped up to take the penalty.  Once again, Tigres’ González made the save, but the Spaniard capitalized on the rebound to finally give the Bats the lead and a goal.

This led to a little more of an offensive effort from the Mexican team, but Amorós’ side knew what they had to do to secure the win.  And, after a long and tiring match, the final whistle blew, and Gotham FC became the first winners of the Champions Cup.

This was an incredible accomplishment for the NJ/NY team.  Between last year’s roster and the current one, they went on a wonderful run to win the first edition of this competition.  Moreover, they beat two amazing Mexican teams in the semifinals and finals to lift the trophy.

Sure, things have not been perfect in the NWSL.  Hopefully, this win will spark them to be more consistent and to slowly climb up the table.  But regardless, no other team, at least at this time, can say they are the champions of the CONCACAF W Champions Cup.