Gotham pair on other side of Chelsea US tour after another overseas bolster

In April, Ann-Katrin Berger and Jess Carter were part of a powerhouse Chelsea FC squad on its way to another Women’s Super League title under manager Emma Hayes.

On Monday night, Chelsea were at Red Bull Arena as part of a U.S. tour, and Berger and Carter were there, too — in uniform for the home team, Gotham FC, the reigning NWSL champions.

They are examples of how Gotham, which sits in fourth place as the league returns from its midseason Olympics break, has become a destination in recent years for prominent European players.

The overseas talent pipeline has helped bolster the Gotham roster around its core of United States women’s national team players — who were in the house, proudly sporting their gold medals (won under Hayes’ new leadership, coincidentally), but did not suit up for the exhibition — and reflects well on how the team is perceived globally.

“I think it says a lot, you have players of this caliber that are coming over,” Gotham veteran Kelley O’Hara said. “And they’re so fun to play with.”

Berger, 33, joined Gotham in April after sliding down the Chelsea depth chart and quickly emerged as one of NWSL’s top goalkeepers.

She leads the league with 0.75 goals allowed per 90 minutes (nine in 12 matches) and ranks second in the advanced goalie stat known as plus-minus post-shot expected goals (plus-6.1).

Her play with Gotham helped her secure the spot as Germany’s No. 1 keeper in the Olympics.

Berger held the U.S. scoreless for 95-plus minutes in the semifinals until she was beaten by Sophia Smith’s goal, and she turned around and anchored Germany’s win over Spain in the bronze-medal game.

“I wanted to play in the Olympics, I wanted to make a difference here, and that was my two big achievements already, and I think everything I came to do, I already did,” Berger said. “So now I have to look for more targets and … the [NWSL championship] rings are actually looking really nice. So I wouldn’t be bothered if we would get one.”

Carter, a 26-year-old defender who also is engaged to Berger, joined Gotham last month after six seasons with Chelsea and debuted over the break in the NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup.

She scored Gotham’s lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Chelsea in front of an announced crowd of 10,990 with a neat back-post finish off a set piece.

“Chelsea never put me up for corners, they always left me at the back, so I was buzzing,” Carter said with a laugh.

It jibes in a way with how she was recruited by Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós.

“I’ve always been told, ‘Great defender, you know, defend,” Carter said. “But his first thing was we see what you can do on the ball, but we need that consistency. And he really wanted to help me improve that, and that, for me, stood out.”

Those headline moves come after Gotham’s improbable title run last season was aided by the additions of Maitane López, a Spanish defender who previously played for Atlético Madrid, and forward Esther González, a World Cup champion with Spain and former Real Madrid player who scored the game-winning goal in the 2023 NWSL final.

And just last week, Gotham announced the signing of forward Jéssica Silva, who featured for the Portugal team that gave the USWNT fits in last summer’s World Cup and most recently played for Portuguese giant Benfica.

Silva is expected to join Gotham in the second half, which begins Saturday at home against the Portland Thorns.

“We want to be a club that is recognized for the style, the environment we create and the football we play,” Amorós said, “and having the best players in the world that we think fit the way we want, play exciting, winners, is who we want to be.”