What does Sam Kerr’s return to the NWSL mean for the league, Gotham FC and the player herself?

<p>The Australian superstar returns to the US after a seven-year absence – and will find a vastly changed landscape</p><p>When Sam Kerr last played for the National Women’s Soccer League’s Big Apple-adjacent club, it was called Sky Blue, and the playing conditions were comparatively abysmal. The Australian striker spent three years (from 2015-17) accruing accolades for a team infamously bereft of locker rooms or running water at its training facility. This July, she returned to a vastly evolved franchise that has won two NWSL Championships in three seasons while implementing a comprehensive overhaul of its players, personnel and prioritization of player conditions.</p><p>Kerr’s return, called “a landmark moment for our club” by the president of soccer operations, Yael Averbuch West – whose role was intrinsic to Gotham’s progress – feels like an exciting moment of <em>nostos</em> for one of the greatest to ever play women’s professional soccer in the United States, and a sign of continued ambition for a program that has worked hard to overhaul its operations.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2026/jul/08/what-does-sam-kerr-return-to-nwsl-mean-for-league-gotham-fc-player-moving-the-goalposts">Continue reading...</a>