The 2025 NWSL Playoff Semifinals between defending champion Orlando Pride and eight-seeded Gotham FC delivered plenty of entertainment, but the upset win brought the drama. Playing in front of an enthusiastic Orlando home crowd on Sunday, Gotham entered as the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, but walked away as the ones heading to the NWSL Championship final.
The match unfolded with all the nerves expected of a game of this caliber. Tight defending, measured possession, and crucial saves defined the majority of the match. But in the end, it came down to a single moment of brilliance from Gotham forward Jaedyn Shaw, and a late save by Ann-Katrin Berger.
Oliver Strand
A game of slim margins
Rather than attempt to overwhelm Orlando, Gotham stepped onto the pitch with the composure expected from the 2023 NWSL champions. The Bats held steady in possession but were selective about when to attack, focusing on preventing Orlando from drifting into key goal-scoring areas.
Despite the fact that Orlando finished the match with more shots, more shots on target, and more penalty-area entries, Gotham remained compact, forcing Orlando to settle for half-chances rather than a clear path to goal.
At the other end of the field, the Bats were hoping to steal a goal against an Orlando that also kept their shape. It came late into second-half stoppage time, when Gotham earned a free kick that Shaw delivered on a silver platter. It was Gotham’s only shot on target, and she made it count, sending the Bats to their second NWSL Championship in three years — and their third league final since 2009, when the team known as Sky Blue FC competed in the Women’s Professional Soccer league.
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Jaedyn Shaw’s free-kick goal | Courtesy NWSL
Almost immediately after the goal, Orlando nearly equalized after securing a free kick of their own. AKB responded in turn, putting her body on the line to save a header from Orlando’s Oihane Hernández. The save single-handedly prevented Gotham from pulling a repeat of last week’s win over the Kansas City Current.
Megha Gupta
What’s next?
The Washington Spirit now loom over the horizon.
The Spirit look sharp, confident, and fluid. If Gotham want to lift the NWSL trophy, they’ll need to focus on creating more in the opponent’s box while again staying compact both offensively and defensively.
The Spirit have a tendency to attack in waves, a strategy that helped them easily advance past the Portland Thorns in their semifinal match. One shot on target won’t beat the Spirit. Gotham need to put themselves in the best position possible by either creating more set-piece chances, or by using alternative wide channels to stretch the Spirit’s back line.
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A reverse angle of Jaedyn Shaw’s kick | Courtesy NWSL
Shaw’s semifinal goal was a reminder of how make-or-break set pieces can be in a tight game. The Spirit can be vulnerable when forced to defend second balls, and Gotham have the opportunity to make stronger runs closer to goal. If Gotham manage to go one-v-one with the Spirit’s back line, attackers like Shaw can make aggressive near-post runs.
One of Gotham’s biggest advantages is their ability to act quickly off turnovers. Against a possession-heavy Spirit side, transitions will make all the difference. Quick vertical passes down the midfield will create more opportunities for the Bats, granted they can turn their defensive runs into attacking sequences.
Whatever the Bats do on the field, they must keep up their mentality. Gotham have played with more confidence in the NWSL Playoff matches than they did in the last month of the regular season, and the team’s focus and toughness are clearly making the difference.
If the Bats keep up their defensive strength, while maintaining their looseness on the field, they may just win their second NWSL title on Saturday.
sounding very much like how NYCFC can beat Unions in the semifinal… 🙂 good news: Ireland just did that over Portugal & Hungary, 2 games in a row.