Gotham FC Women’s Soccer Team Wins Championship, Gets Parade

The mighty players, manager, coaches and other members of the Gotham FC took City Hall and its surrounding streets on Monday November 24 to celebrate their recent victory in the National Women’s Soccer League championship game.

Weather for the event, which was a mini version of the traditional Canyon of Heroes ticker tape parade up Broadway to City Hall, was splendiferous, with bright sun, moderate wind and temperatures in the 50s. Afterwards, there was much regaling, including high praise from Mayor Eric Adams, who presented the team, including their popular manager, Juan Carlos Amorós, with keys to the city.

FC for those who don’t follow the game stands for football club (“the real football” soccer might fans might jibe, especially in a city where the New York Jets haven’t even made the playoffs since 2010) and if you’ve not heard of Gotham FC despite their recent success, well... you’re not alone.

Indeed there were likely as many unknowing people—commuters, moms, laborers and tourists alike—asking police why Broadway or Chambers Street was closed off then there were celebrants, which numbered perhaps a thousand. To the cops’ credit, including quite a few detectives and transit cops, each identifiable by the respective DB and TB pins on their collars, they handled these questions with exceptional grace and helpfulness.

This isn’t to impugn the bluecoats at other parades but the larger the event, the more hostile pedestrians and bicyclists, confused delivery workers and the like there are and occasionally cops do get snippy. Not so this morning, and even the Counterterrorism guys, whose job it is to be very serious, were in good spirits.

As well they should, for it was a beautiful morning and the champs were in town— whoo! Go ladies!!

The champions of what takes a little explaining, however, and in so doing, it might explain why the crowds were so sparse.

Working backwards, the Gotham FC, who play their home games in the soccer-only Sports Illustrated Stadium of Harrison, NJ earned their title by the defeating the Washington Spirit, of Washington D.C., 1-0 on Saturday night November 22 in San Jose, California.

Harrison is a small city on the Passaic River just south Kearney in Hudson County. You can get to Harrison on the PATH train from from the World Trade Center but though the team logo features the crown of the Statue of Liberty atop a shield, you can’t see Lady Liberty from there. You can see Newark though! For those who don’t travel the byways in industrial New Jersey, Harrison is a location of numerous scenes in “The Sopranos,” including the Pulaski Savings bank in the opening montage and Artie Bucco’s house.

The NWSL championship, you see, is held in a neutral stadium, like the Super Bowl, so whatever momentum and local passion there is is unfortunately dissipated. That the NWSL championship is contested this way has often been criticized, for in trying to bring the games to a perceived larger audience, they end up leaving the core supporters, and those more casual sports fans who might get up in in a team’s success, behind.

Think of how New York Liberty women’s basketball team excited the city, including many people who didn’t previously follow the women’s game, when they made their championshiop run in 2024.

Meanwhile, a remarkable underdog story starring the Gotham FC, who were seeded 8th going into the NWSL playoffs, was unfolding and hardly anyone in the city was paying attention.

This is by no means the players or the managers fault. The team did their part and then some, from midfielder Rose Lavelle, whose left-footed shot in the 80th minute from Brunhina was the winning goal, to all the players who stepped up to defeat higher seeded in teams in the playoffs.

Brunhina, by the way is Bruna Santos Nhaia of Brazil, and like many of her starry male compatriots, goes by the single nickname.

“It was maybe the one moment I had in the game to step up,” Lavelle said afterwards of her goal. “I keep saying Bruninha did the heavy lifting on that.”

This was Lavelle’s second NWSL championship game, her first being in 2023 a member of the Seattle Reign— who lost to the Gotham FC in... Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California! If you don’t recall this, well, few people do and the team didn’t even get a New York City parade that year.

The Adams administration botched that one and, though he’s missed numerous public events since his reelection campaign fizzled early this autumn, Hizzoner was present for this celebration.

“This team sheltered the hopes and dreams of New Yorkers, of the entire Garden State and New York,” said the Mayor, wearing a Gotham FC scarf and black and white For.NYC ball cap. “It showed time and time again that you never can be counted out because you have the New York City grit, resiliency and determination.”

“You have inspired thousands of soccer fans and young girls and boys to believe in themselves,” Hizzoner continued, “to be brave, to be bold and to be fierce, fueled by the team slogan, ‘Always build, never finish.’”