Gotham FC kicks off roster overhaul

Gotham FC have started to rebuild their roster.

The club announced the first round of cuts, revealing players Domi Richardson, Nicole Baxter, Jennifer Cudjoe and Kumi Yokoyama will not be returning in 2023. Gotham chose not to extend their contracts following this year’s campaign, giving way for new faces. 

“Domi, Nicole, Jennifer and Kumi are fan favorites and outstanding players who made significant contributions to Gotham FC on the pitch and in our community,” Gotham general manager Yael Averbuch said in a statement. “All of us at Gotham FC are deeply appreciative to them for everything they did for our club.”

Baxter was the first to express her disappointment, after being part of the team since 2019. 

“I’m disappointed to not be offered a new contract at Gotham, I will always have a very special type of love for the people and fans of this club.”

The changes come after Gotham failed to make the 2022 NWSL playoffs, finishing at the bottom of the table with just 13 points from 22 games. The team also parted ways with head coach Scott Parkinson in August, and replaced him with interim manager Hue Menzies. 

Despite securing high profile players like Ali Krieger and Ashlyn Harris ahead of the recent season, the team struggled to balance their roster. 

“It has to do with balancing players to bring out one another’s best characteristics, and looking at partnerships,” Averbuch said to The Athletic in early September.

“And not just partnerships between two players, but among players who will be on the same side of the field or in different (areas), working as the defense into the midfield or, the midfield into the forward line.Nothing is ever as simple as it looks on the outside. I knew that going in. But really, it strikes me all the time how complex the culture of an organization or a club really is.”

The team now has a couple months to rebuild before kicking off in 2023.