On Wednesday, Gotham FC became the final club to release its initial roster for the 2025 NWSL preseason. The roster includes no unsigned invitees.
The roster does have a few minor notables:
- Jenna Nighswonger has “not yet reported”, likely due to her expected transfer to Arsenal
- As expected, 14-year-old Mak Whitham is now officially a permanent signing after being signed to short-term contracts in 2024
- Midge Purce remains a free agent
Also, if you missed Tuesday’s news: Crystal Dunn was released from her contract via mutual agreement.
The below roster is presented in a similar format to December’s end-of-season roster lists.
The lists for each club are organized as follows:
- Currently Signed: All players signed to a contract (for at least part of 2025) but not presently loaned to another club.
- Out on Loan: Signed players that have current loan agreements.
- Non-Roster Invitees: Players invited to train with the club, but are not formally signed with the club.
For invitees, links to their NCAA player profiles, if applicable, are provided. For those invitees that are still in high school, if their official or verbal commit is known, that is provided, along with a source link.
Parenthetical Key:
- INT = The player occupies an International Spot
- LOAN = The player is on loan from another club
- SEI = The player is currently designated by the club as being on its Season-Ending Injury/Illness List
- SEI2024 = In cases where a team’s press release did not specify SEI players, this denotes players who were on the SEI List at the end of the 2024 season (primary source)
- U18 = The player was signed under the U18 Entry Mechanism and will not turn 18 before the start of the 2025 season (Friday, March 14th).
Gotham FC

Player Notes:
- Jenna Nighswonger is a “not yet reported” and is expected to transfer to Arsenal.
- On Wednesday, January 28th, Gotham announced that Crystal Dunn was released from her contract via mutual agreement.
- The signing of midfielder Sofia Cook, who leaves UCLA a year early, was announced earlier on Wednesday.
- Midge Purce is the only free agent from December’s end-of-season roster to not have a status update (e.g. re-signed as in the case of Mandy Freeman or a “thank you” for McCall Zerboni) other than Svava Guðmundsdóttir, who is pregnant (Instagram) and not expected to return to the NWSL. Purce suffered an ACL injury in March and was on the SEI List for the remainder of the 2024 season (press release).
Signed:
- Goalkeepers (3): Ann-Katrin Berger (INT), Ryan Campbell, Shelby Hogan
- Defenders (7): Bruninha (INT), Jess Carter, Tierna Davidson, Mandy Freeman, Jenna Nighswonger, Lilly Reale, Emily Sonnett
- Midfielders (6): Sofia Cook, Jaelin Howell, Rose Lavelle, Nealy Martin, Stella Nyamekye, Taryn Torres
- Forwards (8): Esther Gonzalez (INT), Khyah Harper, Cece Kizer, Gabi Portilho (INT), Sarah Schupansky, Jéssica Silva (INT), Ella Stevens, McKenna “Mak” Whitham (U18)
Out On Loan:
- Goalkeepers (0): n/a
- Defenders (0): n/a
- Midfielders (0): n/a
- Forwards (0): n/a
Non-Roster Invitees:
- Goalkeepers (0): n/a
- Defenders (0): n/a
- Midfielders (0): n/a
- Forwards (0): n/a
Source: “Gotham FC Announces 2025 Preseason Roster” (29-Jan-2025)
Earlier Roster Releases
For additional preseason rosters, see
- 2025 Preseason Rosters, Part 6 — Bay FC, Chicago Stars, Houston Dash, North Carolina Courage, and Portland Thorns (27-Jan-2025)
- 2025 Preseason Rosters, Part 5 — Angel City FC (24-Jan-2025)
- 2025 Preseason Rosters, Part 4 — Racing Louisville (22-Jan-2025)
- 2025 Preseason Rosters, Part 3 — San Diego Wave and Washington Spirit (21-Jan-2025)
- 2025 Preseason Rosters, Part 2 — Orlando Pride (20-Jan-2025)
- 2025 Preseason Rosters, Part 1 — Kansas City Current, Seattle Reign, and Utah Royals (15-Jan-2025)