Gotham, Tigres advance to Concacaf Champions Cup Final
Gotham FC of the National Women's Soccer League and Tigres UANL of Liga Mx Femenil have advanced to the final with emphatic victories over Club América and the Portland Thorns.
Gotham topped América 3-1, navigating through windy and rainy conditions Wednesday evening at Estadio Universitario in Monterrey, Mexico. Tigres' two unanswered goals against the Thorns in the first 28 minutes of the game sealed their fate later that night.
Advertisement
The NWSL side started strong, with Brazilian striker Geyse volleying home a corner from Sarah Schupansky in the 21st minute, her second goal for the team since arriving from Manchester United in March. Gotham's second goal came from a penalty by Midge Purce, who also drew the foul in the box, her first since her return from her anterior cruciate ligament injury.
Just three minutes later, América's chances at advancing past the 2023 NWSL champions narrowed when defender Jana Gutiérrez deflected a rebound off the post into her own net and brought the score to 3-0.
Despite the early upset, América got on the board in the 38th minute through Spanish national Irene Guerrero, who took advantage of a deflection off a cross. The Mexican side looked more composed in the second half, creating more scoring opportunities especially after Sarah Luebbert (former Chicago Red Stars and University of Missouri standout) came on as substitute and threatened Gotham's defense.
The night's second semifinal served up a clash between NWSL heavyweights Portland Thorns and Liga MX Femenil powerhouse Tigres UANL, and it was all Tigres. The Mexican side dominated the game, taking advantage of Thorns' weakness in defense. Tigres' first goal came in the 10th minute from 21-year-old Aaliyah Farmer. Shortly after, South African national Thembi Kgatlana took advantage of goalkeeper Bella Bixby's grave error and scored Tigres' second goal in the 28th minute.
Thorns came back with two tactical substitutions the second time, bringing on Payton Linehan and Kaitlyn Torpey to inject pace and width on the right, but could not find goal positions as expected.
The final will take place at 7 pm ET Saturday. The winner of the Concacaf Women's Champions Cup secures a spot in the inaugural 2026 FIFA Women's Champions Cup and the 2028 FIFA Women's Club World Cup.
(Photo of Midge Purce from May 9: EM Dash / Imagn Images)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
4 hours ago
- CNN
IndyCar officials and Pato O'Ward shocked by ICE-related ‘Speedway Slammer' post
Mexico Federal agenciesFacebookTweetLink Follow IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward and series officials were shocked by a social media post from the Department of Homeland Security that touts plans for an immigration detention center in Indiana dubbed 'Speedway Slammer,' and includes a car with the same number as the only Mexican driver in the series. 'It caught a lot of people off guard. Definitely caught me off guard,' O'Ward said Wednesday. 'I was just a little bit shocked at the coincidences of that and, you know, of what it means. … I don't think it made a lot of people proud, to say the least.' The post Tuesday included an image of an IndyCar-style vehicle with the No. 5 that had 'ICE' imposed on it multiple times similar to the display of a sponsor. It appeared to be a computer-created image, with the car on a track and a prison-like building in the background. Indiana is home to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and is where the IndyCar Series is based. 'We were unaware of plans to incorporate our imagery as part of yesterday's announcement,' IndyCar said in a statement Wednesday. 'Consistent with our approach to public policy and political issues, we are communicating our preference that our IP not be utilized moving forward in relation to this matter.' O'Ward said he didn't see the post until a friend texted him about it. 'I haven't really read into it too much because I don't think I want to,' he said. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a separate post used 'Speedway Slammer' when announcing the new partnership with the state of Indiana to expand detention space by 1,000 beds. The 26-year-old O'Ward, who was born in Monterrey, Mexico, is second in points, though Alex Palou can clinch the IndyCar season title as early as this weekend in Portland. O'Ward was in Texas to promote next year's inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington. That race on March 15 will be on a 2.7-mile layout that goes around the home stadiums of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and MLB's Texas Rangers. O'Ward threw a ceremonial first pitch before the Rangers' game against the New York Yankees.
CNN
4 hours ago
- CNN
IndyCar officials and Pato O'Ward shocked by ICE-related ‘Speedway Slammer' post
Mexico Federal agenciesFacebookTweetLink Follow IndyCar driver Pato O'Ward and series officials were shocked by a social media post from the Department of Homeland Security that touts plans for an immigration detention center in Indiana dubbed 'Speedway Slammer,' and includes a car with the same number as the only Mexican driver in the series. 'It caught a lot of people off guard. Definitely caught me off guard,' O'Ward said Wednesday. 'I was just a little bit shocked at the coincidences of that and, you know, of what it means. … I don't think it made a lot of people proud, to say the least.' The post Tuesday included an image of an IndyCar-style vehicle with the No. 5 that had 'ICE' imposed on it multiple times similar to the display of a sponsor. It appeared to be a computer-created image, with the car on a track and a prison-like building in the background. Indiana is home to Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and is where the IndyCar Series is based. 'We were unaware of plans to incorporate our imagery as part of yesterday's announcement,' IndyCar said in a statement Wednesday. 'Consistent with our approach to public policy and political issues, we are communicating our preference that our IP not be utilized moving forward in relation to this matter.' O'Ward said he didn't see the post until a friend texted him about it. 'I haven't really read into it too much because I don't think I want to,' he said. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in a separate post used 'Speedway Slammer' when announcing the new partnership with the state of Indiana to expand detention space by 1,000 beds. The 26-year-old O'Ward, who was born in Monterrey, Mexico, is second in points, though Alex Palou can clinch the IndyCar season title as early as this weekend in Portland. O'Ward was in Texas to promote next year's inaugural Grand Prix of Arlington. That race on March 15 will be on a 2.7-mile layout that goes around the home stadiums of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and MLB's Texas Rangers. O'Ward threw a ceremonial first pitch before the Rangers' game against the New York Yankees.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
NWSL Announces Trinity Rodman News Before Spirit-Thorns Game
NWSL Announces Trinity Rodman News Before Spirit-Thorns Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Trinity Rodman hasn't played a match for the Washington Spirit since April due to a back injury. On Saturday, however, a new update on her condition emerged. Rodman, who has suited up in just four matches this 2025 and only returned to team training in early July, appears slated to get back on the field after three months of recovery. NWSL Confirms Trinity Rodman's Injury Status On Saturday, ahead of the Spirit's showdown with the Portland Thorns on Sunday, the NWSL announced that Rodman is "available" for the game. "Washington Spirit forward Trinity Rodman available for game day roster," the NWSL wrote along with a photo of the 23-year-old in action. While it's unknown if Rodman will start and whether or not the Spirit will be cautious with her playing time and workload, fans can expect the five-year NWSL veteran to be as aggressive as she used to be — only this time smarter, especially after her back issue. "I'm still gonna be Trin," Rodman said while speaking to reporters on Tuesday, per ESPN. "But, I think the way that I would throw my body around [before], maybe not. Maybe just being smarter about certain tackles, certain runs, certain 50-50s. "I'm still gonna be intense, and I'm still gonna give it 100% all the time, but I think there's parts of my game where I need to save energy or adjust to certain tackles, and I think I've been doing a pretty good job with that so far coming back in training." Rodman's Injury and Importance to Spirit The last time Rodman played for the Spirit was against Racing Louisville FC, but she wasn't able to finish the contest and left at halftime. At the time, the match came just over a week since Rodman returned to international duty for the USWNT following months of absence due to her back injury. After that, Rodman took some time away from the team to manage her injury with doctors and trainers. The former Washington State star recently admitted that her back problem kept her "in pain all the time," per Now that Rodman is back and healthy again, the Spirit become a more lethal team. Currently sitting at No. 5 in the NWSL standings with a 7-2-4 win-loss-draw record, Washington has a real opportunity to string together more wins and climb up the rankings. Rodman is one of the Spirit's best scorers and playmakers, as proven by her numbers over the years: 2021: 6 goals (2nd on team); 5 assists (1st on team) 2022: 4 goals (2nd on team); 2 assists (tied for 2nd on team) 2023: 5 goals (tied for 2nd on team); 2 assists (tied for 2nd on team) 2024: 8 goals (tied for 1st on team); 6 assists (2nd on team) Of course it might take some time for Rodman to get back to game condition after more than three months out. However, there's no denying that her return is a huge boost to the story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
