Gotham FC beat Utah Royals 2-0 to claim their first NWSL Shield with 61 points

Gotham FC finally have the trophy that was missing. On Sunday, on NWSL Decision Day, the New Jersey side beat Utah Royals 2-0 at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison and claimed the NWSL Shield, awarded to the best team of the regular season, for the first time in club history. It also confirmed the No. 1 seed for the playoffs, which begin next weekend.

Reiten opened, Shaw closed

Gotham went into the final matchday knowing a draw would be enough. They did not need it. In the 9th minute, Guro Reiten turned in a low cross from Midge Purce that took a deflection on the way, making it 1-0. The Norwegian, who arrived from Chelsea before the season started, scored her first game-winning goal in a Gotham shirt.

The second came in the 80th minute: Purce again down the right, this time with an official assist, and Jaedyn Shaw finished for the final 2-0. According to the club, it was Shaw's 11th goal of the season.

"It's definitely a historic day for the club," head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said after the match, as quoted on Gotham's official website. The team finished with 18 wins, 7 draws and 5 losses for 61 points, a club record for a single season.

A team that already knows how to win titles

Gotham FC had lifted the NWSL Championship in 2023 and 2025, both times as the lowest seed in the bracket. In last year's final they beat Washington Spirit 1-0 as the No. 8 seed. What they had never done was dominate the regular season from start to finish, and that is what they celebrated on Sunday in front of 11,209 fans.

Seattle sneak in, Denver miss out

The rest of Decision Day had its own drama. Seattle Reign beat Orlando Pride 1-0 with a Jordyn Bugg goal and secured the eighth and final playoff spot, in what was Jess Fishlock's last home match before her retirement. North Carolina Courage beat Denver Summit FC 1-0 thanks to a stoppage-time own goal by Kaleigh Kurtz, but it was not enough: they finished one place below the line. Denver, in their first season in the league, also missed out.

Angel City thrashed Boston Legacy 4-1 to finish fifth. Washington Spirit and Kansas City Current won their matches to lock up home-field advantage for the quarterfinals.

The quarterfinal matchups

• Friday, November 6: San Diego Wave (2) vs. Utah Royals (7)
• Saturday, November 7: Kansas City Current (4) vs. Angel City (5)
• Sunday, November 8: Gotham FC (1) vs. Seattle Reign (8)
• Sunday, November 8: Washington Spirit (3) vs. Portland Thorns (6)

The final will be played on Saturday, November 21 at Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Gotham, who won the title twice as the lowest seed in the bracket, now have to prove they can do it as favorites too.

Sources: Gotham FC (official website), ESPN, The Equalizer, USA Today, Yahoo Sports, The Athletic.