Reigning Champion Gotham FC Opens 2026 Season at Boston

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (Mar. 13, 2026) - After capturing its second NWSL Championship in three seasons last November, Gotham FC begins its title defense Saturday afternoon, opening the 2026 campaign on the road against expansion side Boston Legacy FC at Gillette Stadium.

Kickoff for the season opener is set for 12:30 p.m. ET, with ABC carrying the national broadcast of Boston Legacy FC’s first NWSL match and the first meeting between the two clubs.

Gotham FC enters the new season carrying momentum from its championship run and its bronze medal at the 2026 FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, the inaugural intercontinental club championship featuring league winners from across the globe.

Last season, Gotham paired one of the league’s most disciplined defenses with timely attacking production. The club set a single-season franchise record with 11 regular-season shutouts and conceded just 25 goals across 26 matches. Gotham’s 36 points were tied for the second-most in club history, while 11 different players found the back of the net over the course of the regular season campaign.

Ann-Katrin Berger delivered a record-setting year in goal, posting 10 shutouts to break the club’s single-season mark while finishing with a 0.876 goals-against average. She enters 2026 as Gotham’s all-time leader in goalkeeper wins (25) and shutouts (18), a steady presence behind one of the league’s most consistent back lines.

Esther González led the attack with 13 regular-season goals, the second-most in the NWSL in 2025. She became just the second player in club history to reach double-digit goals in a season and recorded four braces, tying a league single-season record. Rose Lavelle added five goals and two assists in 16 matches, while Jaelin Howell contributed four goals in a breakout campaign after entering the season without a career regular-season goal.

Boston Legacy FC begins its inaugural season Saturday, marking the return of top-flight professional women’s soccer to the Boston market. The expansion club will take the field for the first time in front of its home supporters, opening a new chapter in franchise history against the defending champions. The last game for the previous Boston-based NWSL club, the Boston Breakers, was also against then–Sky Blue FC in 2017, ending in a 4-3 Sky Blue FC victory.

Among Boston’s roster are former Gotham FC players Ella Stevens and Josefine Hasbo, both members of Gotham’s 2025 NWSL Championship-winning squad. Saturday’s opener offers an immediate reunion, as the two face their former club in Boston’s first competitive match.

Key Points:

• Gotham FC holds a 7-2-3 record in NWSL season openers and is 5-2-3 on the road in those matches.
• Gotham FC tied for the third-most regular-season wins in club history in 2025 with nine.
• The club recorded six road shutouts last season, tied for the most away clean sheets in a single season in team history.
• The club conceded just 13 away goals in 13 road matches, tied for the second-fewest in club history.