Ali Krieger has been through the mill recently. Her recent, well publicised divorce from fellow icon Ashlyn Harris, with whom she shares 2 children, threatened to overshadow her retirement from a sport she has achieved so much in.
As such, her victory in the NWSL Championship final felt right. Even if it did sour the retirement of fellow US soccer legend Megan Rapinoe. With Gotham fighting it out with OL Reign, one legend was always going to have to come out on the losing side.
A memorable final
A bumper crowd at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, California were there to witness a truly memorable NWSL Championship between two sides determined to crown the careers of their respective legends with yet more hardware.
Whilst Rapinoe’s night, and glittering career, was curtailed by a fairly innocuous looking injury in the 5th minute, Krieger was able to see out the 90 minutes and put in the sort of steady defensive display that has been one of the trademarks of her career. A career which has been littered with silverware, including the 2015 and 2019 World Cup titles and the 2008 UEFA Champions League title with Eintracht Frankfurt. This however, despite her trophy laden past, was her first NWSL title.
Megan Rapinoe’s final professional game was cut short as she limped off inside the first five minutes of the NWSL Final 💔
(via @AttackingThird)
— B/R Football (@brfootball) November 12, 2023
A maiden title for both Gotham and Krieger
And it was a deserved one; not just because of Krieger’s illustrious career, but because Gotham were simply the better team on the night. Whilst OL Reign had the better of the chances overall (4-1 big chances according to Fotmob.com), Gotham looked after the ball better and just looked generally more secure in transitional moments. They also managed the game far more effectively than their opponents.
A frenetic match up
Gotham were also better on both sides of the ball from set pieces. They defended doggedly throughout, as OL Reign and an in-form Rose Lavelle desperately attempted to snatch the NWSL Championship trophy from Gotham’s grasp. Even a late red card for Gotham ‘keeper Mandy Haughty, which led to defensive midfielder Nealy Martin pitching up in between the sticks for 5 minutes or so in added time, couldn’t compromise this victory for Juan Carlos Amoros‘ side.
It was a topsy turvy game. Lynn Williams initially gave Gotham the lead in the 24th minute, smartly converting Midge Purce‘s pull-back before Rose Lavelle hauled OL Reign level with a clever finish. The game was won when Spanish World Cup winner Esther González sent a powerful header past Claudia Dickey, off a Midge Purce corner.
Gotham are deservedly champions and no one would begrudge them that. After the Sky Blue debacle, this is a franchise and a fanbase that is deserving of success. I, for one, felt it was on the horizon. I tipped them as a dark horse last season.
Better late than never, right?
They will be hoping to build on this heading into next season, under the tutelage of this seasons NWSL Coach Of The Year.
Curtain call
As for Krieger, she brought the curtain down on her professional career by making 4 clearances, 1 interception and 9 recoveries, whilst having a pass success rate of 83% from 54 attempts.
Krieger’s experience and defensive capabilities have been vital to Gotham this year. At 39-years young, she’s probably had one of the best seasons of her career; she has won 58 clearances, completed 29 interceptions and made 57% of her tackles. She has featured 20 times for Gotham, playing 90 minutes in all 4 of them.
She has been an assured presence, particularly in a defensive unit that contains plenty of youthful exuberance with the likes of the impressive Jenna Nighswonger and Haught.
Her lack of an NWSL title was the only real blotch on her copybook. She now retires a champion. Both on and off the field.
There could be no more fitting an end to a career for a player that is universally loved across US women’s soccer.
Go well, Ali.
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