Patience is a virtue: why concerns with Gotham FC's offseason are premature

The NWSL offseason is still relatively young, but NJ/NY Gotham FC has already seen three players leave for pastures new in free agency. Midfielder Delanie Sheehan has signed with the Houston Dash, defender Maitane López signed with the Chicago Red Stars, and defender Sam Hiatt signed with Portland Thorns FC.

This series of departures is in stark contrast to what supporters have seen from Gotham in the previous two offseasons where the likes of Lynn Williams, Tierna Davidson, and Crystal Dunn have made their way to Red Bull Arena.

So why is this happening? How come after two years of big-time additions, the early part of this off-season has seen things go the other way?

Gotham FC fans should not be concerned about the recent departures

The new reality of free agency

Free agency has only been part of the NWSL since 2022. Despite the short time since it was introduced, this year sees a big change. Gone are the days of restricted free agency, where a free agent's current team has the option to match an offer the free agent player accepts from another team. Instead, every free agent is unrestricted and free to sign with any team they want.

So why has this appeared to negatively impact Gotham FC? Part of it is timing. During the offseason, teams plan their player moves not just for the upcoming season, but also with an eye towards future years. But in a league like NWSL, which is growing faster than ever and having to adapt its rules seemingly on the fly, things can change quickly for teams.

Under the previous free agency rules Sheehan would have been a restricted free agent. This would have given Gotham FC a better chance of retaining her services. When the Bats made their big money free agency signings last offseason, they were operating under this assumption and believed that re-signing Sheehan would not be as big of a deal. However, a new collective bargaining agreement was signed, and the club had to adjust their offseason plans.

While they obviously did what they could to keep Sheehan around, Houston made an offer that Gotham FC likely could not match. As such, the team from New Jersey needs to fill a big hole in their midfield.

Money and playing time impacts Gotham FC and all NWSL teams

Arguably the two biggest factors one will hear mentioned as to why player X signed with team Y are money and playing time. And those are the exact reasons why Gotham FC has lost this trio of free agents.

According to ESPN's Jeff Kassouf, Delanie Sheehan saw a "significant pay bump" upon her signing with the Dash. And while exactly how much more is unknown given the league doesn't disclose player salaries, a rough estimate can be made. When Sheehan signed her previous contract with Gotham in January 2023, the minimum salary was $36,400. It's safe to assume Sheehan was close to the minimum salary given she had only played 16 matches for the Bats previously and was not the caliber of player she is now.

Then, the salary cap doubled from 2023 to 2024 and there was another healthy bump of $550k going into 2025. Between Sheehan's overall improvement in the two years and the salary increase, it is reasonable to assume her salary with the Dash is anywhere in the region of $80,000-$120,000 a year.

So while Sheehan's main motivation may have been getting a salary she felt she was worth, Maitane and Hiatt were in search of playing time. When Maitane was signed by Gotham FC partway through the 2023 season, she quickly cemented herself as part of a solid center-back partnership with Ali Krieger en route to a championship.

Despite this immediate success, things did not kick on in 2024 as many expected. With the addition of Emily Sonnett and Tierna Davidson, Maitane lost her starting spot and only played three minutes in NWSL play post-Olympic break. This year, the Spaniard started in only four league matches, three fewer than she had in her half-season in 2023. And now with Chicago, she will have the opportunity to get back into a starting role at either centerback or in the midfield where she played with Atlético Madrid prior to coming to the NWSL.

The same can be said for Hiatt. While Hiatt did not see a major reduction in playing time compared to her 2023 season with Seattle Reign FC, it is very clear her pathway to being a starter is blocked with Gotham FC. She signed with a Portland team that was crying out for a player like Hiatt. The vast majority of the Thorns' defenders can be placed into two categories, young and inexperienced, or near the end of their career and should not be starting every game anymore. This signing gives Portland a player who is in their mid-20s and has very clearly shown that when given the chance, she can be an excellent defender.

What should Gotham FC fans expect moving forward?

It is understandable for fans to be worried when they see players leave in free agency, especially when it happens in such a short period seen with these three. But Gotham FC's front office will have known for a while that the players were not returning and have since been working on identifying and negotiating with potential replacements.

Plus, losing a decent number of players in free agency is normal in sports, especially for successful teams. This level of unrestricted free agency is still pretty new to NWSL. Hence, it is understandable why so many fans were confused and worried about this mini exodus to start the offseason.

In addition, for some supporters, the NWSL is not just the only soccer league they follow, but it is the only sports league they follow. This means that the prior knowledge of how other free agencies work is not universally shared amongst the entirety of the fanbase.

Yes, it sucks to lose players, especially good players like Sheehan or players who were part of a championship-winning team like Maitane. Understand the team has a plan on how to replace them. Also, it is early in the offseason. Next season is still three months away and while there may still be a few outgoing transfers, expect a fair amount of incoming players as well.

Gotham has earned the benefit of the doubt from the fanbase that they know what they are doing when it comes to building a roster. General Manager Yael Averbuch West took this team from being at the bottom of the table in 2022 to all sorts of club records in 2024 with an NWSL Championship sandwiched in between. Expect Gotham FC to be at the top of the table again in 2025.