April saw the first international break of the 2026 NWSL season, and NJ/NY Gotham FC, as always, was well represented. 14 players in total were called up by their respective national teams, with 10 senior team players, while four players made appearances for their youth national teams.
Five players, Tierna Davidson, Rose Lavelle, Lilly Reale, Jaedyn Shaw, and Emily Sonnett, were called in to the United States women's national team, while Sofia Cook, Jordynn Dudley, Andrea Kitahata, and Sarah Schupansky all made appearances for the U23 USWNT. This international break also saw action for Ann-Katrin Berger for Germany, Jess Carter for England, Esther González for Spain, Guro Reiten for Norway, and Talia Sommer for Israel.
Gotham FC and the April international break
Tierna Davidson: USWNT
Tierna Davidson received her first USWNT minutes in over a year, first coming on for the final 25 minutes in the 1-0 loss to Japan on the 14th in Seattle. She then received her first start for club or country in 2026 when she played the opening 45 minutes against Japan on the 17th in Denver, helping the USWNT earn a 3-0 victory.
Rose Lavelle: USWNT
It was a strong window for Gotham star Lavelle when she first played the full 90 minutes and scored the opening goal before assisting the game-winner on the 11th in a 2-1 victory against Japan in San Jose. She then scored again in the 3-0 victory on the 17th in Denver. These mark Lavelle's first goals for the USWNT since the 6-0 victory over New Zealand on October 29, 2025.
Lilly Reale: USWNT
It was a bit of a tough window for Reale, who missed a tackle that led to Japan's only goal in their 1-0 victory over the USWNT on the 14th in Seattle. She started and played the first 65 minutes in that match before playing the final seven minutes in the third and final friendly on the 17th.
Jaedyn Shaw: USWNT
Shaw started and played 79 minutes against Japan on the 14th before playing the final 27 minutes in the third and final friendly against Japan. Amazingly, she assisted on Kennedy Wesley's first USWNT goal a minute after coming on as a substitute for captain Lindsey Heaps.
Emily Sonnett: USWNT
After missing out on the opening game due to a small knock in training, Sonnett started and played 65 minutes in the team's second friendly against Japan in Seattle. This was Sonnett's one and only appearance in this international window and was likely smart in the eyes of Gotham.
Sofia Cook: USWNT U-23
Cook started and played 56 minutes in the USWNT U-23's victory on penalty kicks over Denmark in the WU23 Friendly Finals tournament, assisting on Kat Rader's opening goal in the 35th minute. She did not see the field in the final against France, nor did she play in the pre-tournament friendly against the Netherlands
Jordynn Dudley: USWNT U-23
The emerging young Gotham FC star, Dudley, saw limited action in this window, first coming on as a substitute for Pietra Tordin in the semifinal game against Denmark, and played the final 23 minutes. She then started the final against France before being replaced at halftime by Riley Tiernan.
Andrea Kitahata: USWNT U-23
Another Gotham rookie, Kitahata, started and played 80 minutes against Denmark, notably as a right-back, before being replaced by Evelyn Shores. She then came on as a last-second sub in the final against France, which the young Stars and Stripes won 4-3.
Sarah Schupansky: USWNT U-23
Schupansky started and played the opening 45 minutes against the Netherlands, where she was replaced by Yuna McCormack. She then came on as a substitute, replacing Sarah Weber in the 67th minute, in the final against France.
Ann-Katrin Berger: Germany
Berger started both of Germany's 2027 World Cup qualifying matches against Austria. She helped her team earn a 5-1 win at home before keeping a clean sheet away in Austria, but Germany couldn't find the back of the net, resulting in a 0-0 draw in the other match.
Jess Carter: England
Gotham FC's Carter had a quiet break. She was an unused substitute in England's 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Spain before playing one minute away to Iceland, replacing Esme Morgan in the 89th minute, in a game England also won 1-0.
Esther González: Spain
González started and played 62 minutes in Spain's 1-0 loss to England before being an unused substitute in the team's 5-0 win over Ukraine at home.
Guro Reiten: Norway
The most recent star signing, Reiten, who has yet to appear for the Bats, had a successful first international window as a Gotham player. She was a substitute in both games against Slovenia. She played 23 minutes in the first match, which Norway won 5-0, before playing 28 minutes in a 3-2 victory.
Talia Sommer: Israel
Sommer started both of Israel's World Cup qualifying matches against Luxembourg. She played 70 minutes in a 6-0 win at home before the Gotham FC rookie played 78 minutes in a 3-1 away victory.
