Gotham FC captures NWSL Challenge Cup in Ohio’s first pro women’s soccer match
· Yahoo Sports
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Not every title is won in a shootout of goals. Sometimes one penalty, one finish and a defensive display are all it takes.
That was all Gotham FC needed Friday night to defeat the Kansas City Current 2-0 and win the 2026 NWSL Challenge Cup under torrential rain at ScottsMiracle-Gro Field, the site of the first professional women’s soccer match ever played in the state of Ohio.
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Esther González opened the scoring in the 37th minute, calmly converting from the penalty spot after Jaelin Howell drew a foul inside the box. Kansas City thought it found an equalizer in the 63rd minute when Temwa Chawinga unleashed a spectacular strike, but the celebration was cut short as the goal was ruled offside.
Jordynn Dudley, Gotham’s newest rising star, ultimately put the match away in the 79th minute as the rookie drilled a low shot into the far corner beyond the full stretch of Kansas City goalkeeper Marisa Jordan.
“The things that we see Jordynn do on the field are not surprising to us because she’s doing this day in and day out in trainings. Doesn’t mean that they’re not excellent, but I think we know exactly what she brings, and it’s a super high quality level of soccer, but it’s also a grit and tenacity,” captain Tierna Davidson said.
Named the NWSL Rookie of the Month for April, the 21-year-old has made an immediate impact since breaking into Gotham’s starting lineup. Dudley recorded her first professional assist in a 3-0 victory over Bay FC before scoring her first NWSL goal five days later against the Chicago Stars. On Friday, she added perhaps her biggest contribution yet, delivering the insurance tally that secured Gotham’s first Challenge Cup title.
“Jordynn has been a game changer,” said Ohio native Rose Lavelle, who scored Gotham’s championship goal last year. “I think she is so dangerous on both ends of the ball, and I think it’s really opened up a lot for us in the final third. A big player coming up in a big moment.”
The victory gives the 2025 NWSL champions their first trophy of 2026 after falling short in the FIFA Women’s Champions Cup and the Concacaf W Champions Cup earlier this year.
“It’s really exciting to have this first trophy, and players like Tierna and all of them have really been helping me and all the younger players, like, settle in and push harder,” Dudley said. “Without them, there would be no me playing and no confidence in me.”
Friday’s meeting between Gotham and Kansas City marked the third edition of the Challenge Cup under its revamped format.
The league overhauled the competition in 2024, replacing the monthlong tournament with a winner-take-all match between the reigning NWSL champion (Gotham) and the previous season’s Shield winner (Kansas City) — a format modeled after the Super Cups contested across Europe. If one club wins the NWSL Championship and the Shield, the league championship runner-up earns the second berth. Had Friday night’s match been level at full time, the trophy would have been decided by a penalty shootout.
When the Challenge Cup debuted in 2020, it was never intended to become a permanent fixture. Created as a pandemic bubble tournament after the COVID-19 outbreak halted sports around the world, it offered the NWSL a way to return to competition safely while fans watched from home. The tournament ultimately became one of the league’s defining moments during an uncertain summer, with the Houston Dash defeating the Chicago Stars to lift the inaugural trophy, the first championship in club history.
Rather than disappear once regular league play resumed, the Challenge Cup became an annual competition.
For the next two seasons, it served as a preseason tournament involving every NWSL club. The Portland Thorns defeated Gotham in the 2021 final before the North Carolina Courage captured consecutive titles in 2022 and 2023. During the latter run, the tournament shifted to overlap with the regular season.
Despite the silverware and the historic setting, the Challenge Cup continues to wrestle with a broader identity question. Played before a modest crowd in Columbus, the event has yet to establish itself as a must-see championship. Unlike its counterparts in Europe, the Challenge Cup is still searching for a clear purpose beyond serving as a curtain-raiser between the league champion and Shield winner.
The NWSL will resume regular-season play next weekend after its World Cup-related June hiatus.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Gotham FC, Kansas City Current, NWSL, Women's Soccer
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