The NWSL Midge Purce champion will return to NJ / NY Gotham FC on a new one -year agreement, the club announced on Wednesday, extending her stay at the club in a fifth season after having torn her ACL last season.
Purce was a free agent this offseason and will join the team during their pre-season trip to Marbella, Spain. The 29 -year -old follows the return to the game protocol, but there is currently no calendar for his return after having torn his LCA last March.
Purce spent most of her professional career in Gotham after being exchanged to the team before the 2021 season. She quickly became an essential player for the team, finishing second in the Golden Boot race in 2021 and was then Named MVP in the 2023 NWSL championship while Gotham won his first title in the league. The time of Purce in Gotham was not without misfortunes of injury – she missed time in 2023 after having torn her quad in April and played only two games in 2024 because of the LCA injury, which is Coming just when she returned to the American American national women’s team Pool of player.
The winger will be a welcome addition to Gotham during a busy season – the team will balance the matches of the regular NWSL season with matches in the inaugural edition of the Champions Cupcaf W. Gotham Cup will face the Tigers In the semi-final of the competition on May 21 and will also participate in the third place or final match on May 24.
Stability during occupied offseason
Until now, Gotham’s off -season has been highlighted by their expenses – and there have been several. Lynn Biyendolo, from California, (formerly Williams), the top scorer of all time in the NWSL, left for the Reign of Seattle because she wanted to end her career on the west coast, while 2024 Breakout Yazmeen Ryan Join the Houston Dash as they undergo an ambitious reconstruction. Crystal Dunn and Jenna Nighswonger also left for Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal, respectively, while Maitane Lopez and Delanie Sheehan left as free agents.
The 2023 champions made a marquee signature this winter, however, with the Olympic silver medalist Gabi Portillo. The Brazilian international was the star of his race on the podium in Paris, and had a year of escape in 2024 which included two goals and two assists at the Olympic Games, a nomination in Ballon’or and a place on the female world of FIFA XI. It will be counted to help replace the production of Biyndolo and Ryan, just like a Purce Sain.
Purce joins a handful of other free agents to stay in Gotham, whose status of super team has evolved over the 2024 season. Although three of the six players who were part of the winning team of the gold medal of The USWNT has since left, all except one leave – Sheehan – of their last eliminatory match is still there. This includes defender Mandy Freeman, who has been working with Gotham since 2017 and has treated injuries for a large part of his career, but obtained a coveted place on the left rear which could have gone to Nighswonger or Dunn.
Regarding their attack specifically, Gotham still has a lot of quality in these areas. The winner of the Women’s World Cup, Esther Gonzalez, is still with the group after scoring 10 goals in 2024, while Ella Stevens had a year in small groups with seven goals. The NWSL veteran, Cece Kizer, is also in the mixture after joining the team as a free agent in September.
The USWNT star, Rose Lavelle, is also still in the mixture after a season of seven goals, although it is currently recovering from ankle surgery. Lavelle has undergone surgery in December and has been rehabilitated for several weeks and with the team in Spain for the pre-season. There is currently no calendar for the return of Lavelle, but she said last week that she “, hopefully, should not miss too much from the season.”
