Gotham FC are all-in on their head coach.
Juan Carlos Amorós is signing a five-year contract extension that runs through 2029, the team announced Thursday, signaling a massive commitment to the Spaniard who has overseen Gotham’s rise from the NWSL cellar to one of the league’s powers.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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“The commitment with me for that long-term project is something very special,” Amorós said. “I’m extremely happy to say that I’m gonna be here for a long time.”
The 40-year-old Amorós led Gotham to an improbable NWSL title in his first season with the team in 2023, completing a worst-to-first turnaround from the year prior with a Cinderella run through the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.
In 2024, Amorós was on the sideline for a season that was better by every measure but the result of their final game.
Bolstered by several marquee additions, Gotham finished with a team-record 17 wins (17-4-5) and 56 points while conceding just 20 goals, a franchise low.
Gotham was eliminated on penalty kicks in a heartbreaking semifinal against the Washington Spirit.
“Juan’s early success here not only was an indicator to us that we wanted to continue to build and build around him, but also it caught the attention of other clubs around the world,” general manager Yael Averbuch West said. “So we can’t lie and say that [the contract extension] wasn’t also a bit of a defensive play.”
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Gotham is off to a middling start in 2025, with two draws and a loss from three games, having scored only one goal.
It comes after an offseason roster revamp in which several stalwarts (including Lynn Biyendolo, Crystal Dunn and Yazmeen Ryan) departed, the team signed an intriguing rookie class of college free agents and Rose Lavelle underwent ankle surgery from which she still has not returned.
Their ambitions are not dimmed.
In addition to working to maintain Gotham’s perch among the NWSL’s elite, Amorós talked Thursday about winning the inaugural CONCACAF W Champions Cup (a regional club tournament with the final four in late May) and qualifying for the first Women’s Club World Cup in 2028.
“We can achieve some of these amazing dreams that maybe when I came into the equation, they seemed to be a little bit far away,” Amorós said.
Still, the five-year term is eye-catching, especially in the context of a less-established league such as the NWSL.
“We maybe take for granted now that you can even plan five years ahead, but I remember there was a day not too long ago where no one ever knew: Was there another year? Were there two more years?” Averbuch West said. “So we’re in a really special place as a league where we can think longer term.”
