NJ/NY Gotham FC wins their first NWSL championship

The GIST: Just one year after finishing last in the league, No. 6 NJ/NY Gotham FC defeated No. 4 OL Reign 2–1 in Saturday’s final, a storybook ending for the first-time NWSL champions. Oh, and the future’s only getting brighter.

How it happened: Both first-half Gotham goals (netted by forwards Lynn Williams and Esther González) were assisted by forward Midge Purce, who scorched three Seattle players and executed a perfect corner en route to earning Championship MVP honors.

• Reign midfielder Rose Lavelle kept Seattle’s hopes alive, nailing her team’s lone goal and creating dangerous chances until the final whistle, but Gotham’s defense-first approach, anchored by another retiring legend, captain Ali Krieger, proved too much for Seattle’s attack.

Zooming out: The perfect follow-up to a season so dramatic it could win an Emmy? A brand new, record-setting, multi-million dollar media deal, of course. Last Thursday, the NWSL announced a new four-year, $240M television partnership with CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video, and Scripps Sports. HYFR.