From players, coaches and fans alike, the NWSL Challenge Cup has its criticisms. The annual matchup that has evolved over its six years of existence now pits the previous year’s NWSL Shield winners against the NWSL Champions. This extra matchup prompts calls for less match congestion, especially with non-NWSL competitions like the CONCACAF W Champions Cup now pulling teams into more responsibilities on the field. Then, there is the timing of the match and why it happened halfway through the season instead of before the start of a new campaign.
Views like these can diminish the game and transform it into more of an exhibition than a high-priority competitive match. Gotham forward Jordynn Dudley did not receive that message.
Friday night, Gotham FC lifted its first Challenge Cup trophy after defeating the Kansas City Current 2-0. Played on a neutral field in Columbus, Ohio, the 2025 NWSL Championship-winning Gotham side went up two goals in the 79th minute. By that point, each side made substitutions to bring starters out of the match and it felt like as good a time as any for teams to start coasting. With all the rain, slowing down avoided unnecessary injury. Plus, Kansas City did not look menacing offensively for most of the second half and did not pose as much of a threat.
Not Dudley. In the final 10 minutes, the 5-foot-11 rookie standout from Florida State made not one but two aggressive slide tackles on the right sideline. Dudley used that height, her speed and awareness of the field to stop any sort of Current comeback. Both tackles came on Gotham’s offensive side of the field from a player who played every second of the trophy-winning performance.
“I think the amount of times that she (Dudley) works back, that she presses, I think she put four or five tackles down the line to make sure that she stops progression,” head coach Juan Carlos Amorós told reporters. “She plays like somebody that hasn’t really played 10 or 12 games at the pro level, but a lot more.”
Dudley entered the night with two goals and two assists in 11 appearances for Gotham, but the second half of Friday’s reintroduction to NWSL play following the summer break showed a player firmly near the top of the NWSL Rookie of the Year award race.
Take a look at the second goal of the night for more evidence. Down a goal, Kansas City had possession near midfield, just inside their defensive half of the pitch. In an attempt to build up from the back, the Current passed across the backline and Dudley pounced. The rookie won possession off a tackle and charged down the right wing.
At that point, Dudley was not alone. Kansas City had two defenders in the area with veteran forward Katie Lampson on Dudley’s left. Lampson, known for a knack for putting any kind of pass or rebound into the back of the net, was an option for the young striker, but the NWSL star did not cower or look to a veteran for help. Dudley went to her left and then to her right before keeping the ball on the ground, sending it underneath a diving goalkeeper, Marisa Jordan.
“Winning that ball back by herself and driving down and making something out of nothing at a time that I think was really critical in the game for us to get some assurance there,” defender Tierna Davidson told reporters. “It’s something that we’re not surprised by, but it’s always very impressive.”
Listen now to The IX Sports Podcast and Women’s Sports Daily
We are excited to announce the launch of TWO new podcasts for all the women’s sports fans out there looking for a daily dose of women’s sports news and analysis. Stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or anywhere you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe!
When it is Dudley’s turn to talk about her own game, her demeanor does not match the on-field tenacity. Dudley speaks quietly. While her captain and head coach showered her with praise at post-match media availability, Dudley did not sit there and bask in the positive affirmations. No, Dudley zoned out and looked down at the able as she sat back in her chair.
Maybe that was because of the 90 minutes of soccer, plus both on and off-field celebrations. After all, playing soccer is tiring. When it was Dudley’s time to talk, that outward lack of expression was not because of a drained battery. It is because Dudley lets her play on the field speak for itself.
The 2025 Hermann Trophy Finalist, the award given to the top player in collegiate soccer, did not take any of the credit for the Friday night performance. No, in a response that shows someone wise beyond their years, Dudley pointed back to her teammate at the press conference table and those getting ready to leave the stadium in the back hallways of ScottsMiracle-Gro Field.
“It’s really exciting to have this first trophy, and players like Tierna [Davidson], and all of them have really been helping me, and all the younger players, settle in and push harder,” Dudley told reporters. “Without them, there would be no me playing.”
Rep The IX Sports at your next game!
Shop the logo collection or special “Women’s Sports are Front Page News” collection now on Shopify.
That group of players could change soon and have an impact on Dudley’s minutes. On June 19, The Athletic reported Gotham’s intent to sign former Chelsea forward Sam Kerr when the transfer window opens on July 14. If the signing comes true, are there minutes for Dudley in the No. 9 role?
Any team wishes they had a problem like Gotham. With Dudley’s Friday performance, another in a long line of standout moments, Gotham has a standout player on the bench, or someone who can play tandem with Kerr to turn an at-times quiet offense into a group to put fear in the eyes of any NWSL defender.
All of that is speculation, though, until the club makes an official announcement. What is not guesswork is what Gotham has in Dudley. The 21-year old made sure that Gotham added another trophy to their cabinet with strong performances on both sides of the ball. Should performances like Dudley’s and Gotham’s continue in this direction, there are more accolades for this club on the horizon.
