Gotham FC players are having a sizzling summer.
Five players from the squad were selected by national teams participating in the 2025 UEFA European Women’s Championship, with three on squads that advanced to the knockout stage that begins tomorrow.
The headliner is Esther González, who is leading the tournament's Golden Boot race with four goals in three games, and is headed to the quarterfinals with Spain. Also advancing are Ann-Katrin Berger with Germany, and Jess Carter with England.
All are regular starters for their respective national teams, with Berger and Carter starting for all three while González appeared in the starting lineup twice. Spain will face Switzerland on Friday, while Germany face France on Saturday. González and Berger could potentially face off against each other in the following round should both their teams win and advance to the semifinals. Carter features on the opposite side of the draw as England takes on Sweden on Thursday.
Midfielder Josefine Hasbo of Denmark and striker Jéssica Silva of Portugal also participated in the tournament, but are now home after getting knocked out in the group stage.
Here's a close look at the performances to date of all five Gotham players who appeared in the 2025 UEFA European Women’s Championship.
Oliver Strand
Esther González and Spain
Player Rating: 9.2
Leader of the NWSL Golden Boot Race? Check.
Leader of the Euros Golden Boot Race? Also check.
González isn’t slowing down her goal-scoring ways while playing for Spain in Switzerland. The Spanish striker scored four goals in three games during the group stage, placing her in the early lead for top goal-scorer at this year’s tournament. Playing alongside the likes of Alexia Putellas and Aitana Bonmatí, González stepped into a role normally reserved for Jenni Hermoso.
Spain does not lack for strikers, nor does the team lack for goal-scorers. La Roja had 14 goals while topping Group B, with eight players scoring at least one goal throughout the group stage. However, the absence of their all-time top scorer made room for a new striker to take up the mantle, and González has stepped up.
THE FIRST NWSL GOALSCORER OF UEFA WOMEN'S EURO 2025: ESTHER 🇪🇸
— NWSL (@nwslsoccer.com) 2025-07-03T19:13:18.222Z
González now has 36 goals in 53 games for her country. The 32-year-old flies under the radar in most Spanish player rankings, given the depth and high quality of the team. However, her performance and ability to finish during this year's Euros are bound to put her at the top of the lists.
Megha Gupta
Ann-Katrin Berger and Germany
Player Rating: 7.5
Germany advanced to the quarterfinals after finishing second in Group C, an effort punctuated by Berger’s skills in the net. The 34-year-old had one shutout and saved Germany from a tie during the team’s 2-1 win over Denmark. Berger made two crucial saves against Poland in the second half to keep Germany in the lead.
Denmark proved to be a trickier opponent. The Danish scored first as Danish forward Amalie Vangsgaard struck a hard ball into the back of the net in the 26th minute. Danish forward Pernille Harder, assisted by Vangsgaard, attempted a second goal just two minutes later, although Berger anticipated the strike, preventing the Danes from going up two-nil in two minutes.
Berger made two more critical saves in the first half to foil Denmark’s plan of taking an early dominant lead. The Danes quickly fell apart in the second half, all five of their attempted shots taken in the first half compared to Germany’s 27 throughout the match.
It was a different story against Sweden. Germany fell to a dominant-looking Swedish side 4-1, with Berger’s only save coming at the 76th minute. Varying attacking transitions from Sweden left the German defense in a disarray, with Berger as the last man standing. Berger conceded three successive goals prior to halftime, leaving the German goalkeeper with more questions than answers. Despite the loss, Germany moves on after placing second in Group C.
Jess Carter and England
Player Rating: 7.8
It wasn’t the prettiest group stage from England, but the defending champions are through to the quarterfinals. Carter started on head coach Sarina Wiegman’s defensive lineup for all three matches, including the loss to France in England’s first game of the tournament. The English defender took up the left-back position, one that’s long proven to be a problem for Wiegman. Chelsea forward Niamh Charles normally plays the position with some success; however, Wiegman replaced her with Carter for the match against France.
Carter struggled, only winning two of her five duels and unable to keep up with French strikers Delphine Cascarino and Marie-Antoinette Katoto. It came as a welcome surprise, then, when Carter came onto the match against the Netherlands as a center-back, a position she plays at Gotham, while Manchester City's Alex Greenwood took up as left-back. It was a much better performance from Carter as she fell into her natural role, easily regaining possession and clearing the ball with precise footwork that propelled England to a 4-0 win.
Carter remained as center-back in the match against Wales, which the Lionesses decisively won 6-1. Carter looked more at ease on the pitch, taking advantage of gaps in the Wales lines and assessing the position of their strikers. Ideally, she'll find herself in a similar lineup in the quarterfinals.
Andrew Leigh
Josefine Hasbo and Denmark
Player Rating: 6.8
Despite not advancing to the quarterfinals, Josefine Hasbo made her mark at this year’s European Championships. The recently signed Gotham midfielder started for Denmark’s matchup against Poland and subbed on in the two group stage matches before that. She made an impact, winning important tackles in the midfield and earning a key free kick in the first half of the game against Poland.
Official Highlights | Poland 3-2 Denmark
The 23-year-old is no stranger to national play, with 33 national appearances and three goals for her country. It showed on the pitch, moving the ball through gaps the opposing side was unaware of as she made passes to her attacking teammates. She was quick to dictate play when needed, and unafraid to be aggressive in the heat of the moment.
Despite only playing in the last 30 minutes as a substitute for her first two matches, Hasbo made do with her time on the pitch. It’s a thrilling glimpse into the tackling abilities and determined mindset she can bring to Gotham’s extensive midfield.
Megha Gupta
Jéssica Silva and Portugal
Player Rating: 5.3
It was a tough tournament for Portugal as they finished last in Group B. Faced against an unbeatable Spain and a determined Italy, there was very little room for error for this Portuguese squad heading into the tournament. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
Jéssica Silva started in Portugal's first Euros match against Spain, facing off against teammate and fellow striker González. Silva made an attempted shot early in the first half that ultimately went wide. Spain quickly ran away with the match, leaving Silva and her fellow forward, Diana Silva, to bear the brunt of scoring expectations.
It was a messy loss for the Portuguese, with both attackers unable to play a shot past an impenetrable Spanish defense.
It was a similar story in Portugal’s match against Italy, which Jéssica subbed on for during the second half, and tied. Jéssica had more goal-scoring opportunities in Portugal’s loss against Belgium, where her one strike in target was blocked while her second went wide. It’s a finishing problem that she’s been working on while playing for Gotham in the NWSL. She seemed to gain more confidence while playing against Belgium, but it was too little, too late as Portugal suffered their third and final loss of the tournament.
