How the Gotham FC players did during the Paris Olympics

The USWNT had a successful Olympic run under Emma Hayes, winning the gold medal against Brazil in Paris on Saturday. Germany also finished with a medal after defeating Spain in the Bronze medal match in Lyon on Friday. Seven NJ/NY Gotham FC players were featured, making it the most represented NWSL team at the Olympics. Two of the seven players won their first-ever Olympic medal, including Jenna Nighswonger (gold) and Ann-Katrin Berger (bronze).  

The seven players will likely take the next few weeks to recover before returning to NWSL, which is set to return on August 24 against Portland Thorns FC. While the players enjoy a few weeks off, let's look at how the Bats did during the Paris Olympics. 

How did the six Gotham players do with the USWNT?

Rose Lavelle- Midfielder 

Rose Lavelle was not on the scoresheet during this Olympics. She was able to start five games, averaging about 73 touches per match. This also includes six shots. It is unclear why she did not feature during the gold medal match on Saturday, with Korbin Albert playing the entire game in the midfield. Nevertheless, Lavelle did show her hustle throughout the entire tournament, especially having to cover a ton of midfield ground during the match against Japan. 

Now that she has won her second Olympic medal, Lavelle is emerging as one of the veterans on the national team. It was also great to see the Gotham FC player healthy. Although, she did not play the entire match in either game.  

Crystal Dunn-Defender/Forward 

Crystal Dunn was also limited on the score sheet, ending the tournament with no goals or assists. She started all six matches, playing all 90 minutes except for the Australia clash, which saw her play one half before subbing off for Gotham teammate Nighswonger.  

As expected, Dunn maintained her left-back role, a position that she has dominated on the national team for years. Though the shortest player on the team, she is also one of the fastest as she ran up and down the pitch, making tackles and passes to the attacking midfield. She earned her first gold medal and second Olympic medal overall, winning all she could win with the USWNT.  

Tierna Davidson- Defender 

Gotham FC defender Tierna Davidson has earned a starting center-back role for the national team and was able to do a decent job. A minor leg injury saw her miss two games. However, was able to return to the team. She made four starts in four appearances, averaging about 63 minutes of play per game. Her performance was overshadowed by Naomi Girma, who was arguably the best defensive player at the Olympics.  

This does not take away from Davidson's performance as she kept up up with the backline while making crucial blocks and tackles when needed, using her body as the tallest field player on the team. She can add a gold medal next to her bronze medal from 2020 as she has earned the respect of Emma Hayes and the right to play with the USWNT.  

Emily Sonnett-Defender/Midfielder 

Emily Sonnett came to the rescue after Davidson went down injured. She had replaced her at center-back for the match against Japan and Australia and was able to fill in with no issues.

The Gotham player's veteran presence and defensive abilities helped the USWNT. Since Davidson was on minutes watch against Germany, Sonnett had taken over for her and was able to solidify a strong defensive wall for the national team, failing to allow a single goal during the knockout round. She earned her second Olympic medal, which she can add to her World Cup title from 2019.  

Lynn Williams- Forward 

The NWSL goal-scoring leader Lynn Williams originally joined the team as an alternative before she was named to the 18-women roster due to an injury. She performed the best she could. She did score against Germany during the group stage, having made six appearances off the bench while recording four shots (one on target).

It was evident that her style of play did not correlate to Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, and Mallory Swanson. However, she was able to bring on fresh legs in the attack while pressuring the defense, leaving holes for the other players to do their thing. She earned back-to-back medals at the Olympics, winning bronze in Tokyo and now gold in Paris.  

Jenna Nighswonger- Defender 

Nighswonger is still new to the USWNT, making just 10 caps prior to the Olympics. She maintained a strict bench role, making all of her five appearances off the bench. She did record 115 minutes of play, having played the entire second half of the Australia match.

The left-back is expected to be a regular for the USWNT, displaying her hustle and crossing ability in the short time featured for Emma Hayes. Nighswonger also got a taste of gold, winning her second title with the team in less than seven months while winning her first Olympic medal.

How did Ann-Katrin Berger do with Germany?

Ann-Katrin Berger-Goalkeeper 

Berger single-handily gave Germany their fourth-ever bronze medal at the Olympics after her performance in France. Despite the four goals allowed against the USWNT during the group stage, she let in just two goals in open play.  

She sent Germany to the semifinal game against the US after making two saves and scoring one goal during the penalty shootout in the quarterfinals against Canada. Despite the one goal to Sophia Smith, the Gotham FC player made nine saves to keep the United States in check. Berger was the best keeper with 28 saves in six games.