How will Jaedyn Shaw fit in at Gotham FC?

On Thursday, NJ/NY Gotham FC announced the acquisition of 20-year-old midfielder Jaedyn Shaw via a trade from the North Carolina Courage. The team sent $1.25 million in intra-league transfer funds to facilitate the move. The club also announced that the two sides are working towards a contract extension, which ESPN reports will see the player re-sign through 2029.

When speaking on the Full Time podcast from The Athletic, Gotham General Manager Yael Averbuch West said that the club had "asked a number of times about Jaedyn, and always heard a no, but we decided we wanted to be pretty aggressive about what we were willing to offer." And that "As a club we like to make big bets and do bold things. Jaedyn is a really big safe bet. This, wasn’t something that came out of nowhere; she has been a player we have tracked for a very long time."

Jaedyn Shaw's future at Gotham FC

Since being traded from San Diego Wave FC to North Carolina back in January, Shaw has had a difficult time fitting into the Courage's game plan. She only has three goals on the season, with two coming in the last three games, and only one assist, which came back in May. The main difficulty for North Carolina has been trying to find a way to fit both Shaw and Ashley Sanchez on the field at the same time. As such, Shaw has come off the bench rather than starting consistently.

So, the reported contract extension with Gotham FC is the first point of interest. Shaw still has a year left on her rookie contract that keeps her with the NJ/NY side through the 2026 season. The attacker could have come in and played great for the next season and a quarter. Then, she could have gone through free agency at 22 years old and commanded a huge contract going into the 2027 season, where the salary cap is expected to see a huge jump.

While there are surely escalators in the contract that allow her to earn a higher salary as the salary cap grows, it is great for Gotham that she's willing to commit to a contract extension now.

There is also the possibility, depending on how the extension is structured, that it could keep her cap hit down over the course of the deal. Given she's still under contract for 2026 and the extension does not kick in until 2027, the Bats could structure the deal where they spread the money that they have committed to her in the three-year extension over the course of four years instead.

This could keep her salary cap hit lower than it would have been had they signed her once her current deal had expired. This would be smart business from the club, as any cap space they can gain will help in continuing to improve the roster.

Where does Jaedyn Shaw fit on the field at Gotham FC?

Arguably, Gotham FC's biggest Achilles heel this season has been the end product in the final third. It was ultimately what saw them earn just one point from six in their two home games against the Houston Dash and the Utah Royals FC. Fortunately, the team recognized this as an issue. According to Jeff Kassouf of ESPN, the Bats were "seeking to add a player with creativity to their squad," and in a vacuum, Shaw is a great player to get that fits that profile. But not repeating the same mistakes as North Carolina will be crucial in making sure this trade ends up working well for them.

As mentioned earlier, one of the potential reasons for Shaw's struggles this season has been North Carolina's inability to find a way for her and Sanchez to coexist on the field together. On the surface, that seems like a problem that could carry over to Gotham, given the presence of both Rose Lavelle and Sarah Schupansky, who have both primarily played in the attacking midfield role Shaw tends to thrive in. Plus, fans have even seen earlier this year when both Lavelle and Schupansky shared the field after the summer break and seemingly did neither player any good.

Things have since improved in recent games, where it's been one of Schupansky or Lavelle on the field with the NJ/NY team earning three straight wins against the Orlando Pride, Alianza Women FC, and Angel City FC. However, with the team adding another attacking midfielder to the mix, how will Gotham FC accommodate all of them at the same time?

Firstly, where does Shaw ultimately fit into this team? The short answer is as the starting number 10. That's arguably her best role, although she is capable of playing deeper and further forward, and also what best suits the club given their roster construction.

So what about Lavelle and Schupansky? First, Schupansky has seemingly hit a bit of a wall after a strong first half of the season that most rookies tend to hit. Adding Shaw should take some of the pressure off her moving forward.

Lavelle is the bigger question. Sadly, her injury issues have again reared their ugly head this season. After missing the first 12 games while recovering from offseason surgery, she has also been limited in the amount of minutes she has been able to play and was subbed out in multiple games due to small injuries or flare-ups.

This was the case this past weekend against Angel City, where Lavelle was out of the starting lineup and came on as a halftime substitute instead. Interestingly, this was arguably her best game of the season. The midfielder scored the game-winning goal just six minutes after coming on. With her injury history and the acquisition of Shaw, perhaps Gotham views the "super sub" role as being what suits Lavelle the best moving forward.

Does this mean that both Lavelle and Shaw can't coexist moving forward? Not necessarily. Typically, when looking at the Starting XI, it looks like a normal 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1. However, on Sunday, it was notable that in possession, Gotham seemed to be in a 3-4-3 or 3-3-4 formation. This saw Jaelin Howell drop in between the two center backs, and both fullbacks push forward to form a flat midfield four, or one fullback tuck in to form a midfield three with the other pushing into the front-line, creating a front four and most notably a two-striker setup up front.

This two-striker setup may be what allows Shaw and Lavelle to share the field without them making each other redundant. Shaw could play as a second striker/false 9 slightly behind Esther González, with Lavelle playing in midfield, and also given the freedom to move forward if need be. Even in the 3-4-3 formation, one could have Shaw on the wing but allow her to tuck in to a more central position with Bruninha, who has been playing further forward for a lot of this season than in the past, being given the freedom to run and attack down the wing.

Another thing to keep in mind is head coach Juan Carlos Amorós' pedigree as a coach who can improve players. Players like Delanie Sheehan, Yazmeen Ryan, and Nealy Martin are all just a few examples of young players who came through Gotham under the Amorós system and came out on the other side as improved players compared to when they first joined. There are also experienced players whom Amorós has been able to rejuvenate, like Lynn Biyendolo, Jaelin Howell, and Mandy Freeman.

While it is very easy to look at this trade and think about how it affects the here and now, that is probably the wrong way to look at it. It is fair to assume Shaw was a future target for Gotham, whether that be via trade in the upcoming offseason or trying to sign her going into the 2027 season. The main reasoning behind this, other than her current ability and potential upside, is Lavelle's long-term health and how that affects her future with the club.

Lavelle is 30 years old with a well-documented injury history and is a free agent after 2026. It is fair to assume that with the Shaw acquisition, fans may be entering the last season and a quarter of Lavelle's time in a Gotham FC jersey. This is not an indictment of the player, who is still very effective and will play a key role for the Bats for as long as she is a part of this club.

However, it is not unfair to assume the writing is on the wall and that Shaw is the long-term replacement. Getting her in now not only improves the team but also helps establish a more seamless transition.