Long-Suffering Gotham FC Supporters Are Savoring Their Moment of Glory
And they're ready for their villain era
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For every game during the 2023 NWSL playoffs, members of Cloud 9, NJ/NY Gotham FC’s independent supporters group, had a box of tissues in their section, ready to soak up the tears that would inevitably come once Gotham’s dream playoff run ended in a loss. But that loss never came, so instead, Cloud 9 cried tears of happiness, as one of the longest-suffering fan bases in women’s soccer celebrated its first ever NWSL championship.
“It was just pure joy,” said Cloud 9 board member Jen Muller.
To call supporters of Gotham FC ‘long-suffering’ is perhaps an understatement. Gotham, originally Sky Blue FC, has historically struggled on and off the field. From poor training and playing conditions, to front office mismanagement and scandals, and several last-place finishes, supporters have had very few bright spots to cheer about.
“There have been ups and downs for sure,” said Muller. “We were all just kind of hanging in there, relying on each other for moral support. The players are key for that as well. We make sure that no matter where we’re at in the table, we’re there for the players.”
But several big strides were made over the past few seasons, including a name and crest rebrand, from Sky Blue FC to NJ/NY Gotham FC, a move to Red Bull Stadium, and the hiring of manager Juan Carlos Amorós. Slowly, the club was becoming less of an embarrassment, and more of a club that its supporters could be proud of.
“We have so many coaches and people on staff that seem truly invested in the club, like, this is where they really want to be,” said Cloud 9 board member Lindsay Pankok. “Same with the players, this is where they really want to be, and I feel like that makes such a difference.”
Although Gotham finished in last place in 2022, the first half of the 2023 season was filled with cautious optimism. Led by USWNT stars Lynn Williams, Midge Purce and Ali Krieger, Gotham was hovering near the top of the table by spring, even taking over the top spot in May.
“We were kind of whispering, ‘I think we’re really good,’” said Pankok. “This is a real thing, this team is really good!”
By the final game of the season, Gotham was still in the mix for a playoff spot. Their season finale would also be Ali Krieger’s last home game, so several tributes and celebrations were planned to honor the defender. Cloud 9 members came prepared with tissues, expecting Krieger’s emotional sendoff, plus the uncertainty of their playoff fate, to be enough to warrant some tears.
“Somebody had brought a couple boxes of tissues,” said Muller. “First, for the Ali Krieger ceremony, and we hadn’t clinched yet. So, we could have been crying for a few reasons.”
Their 2-2 draw was enough to clinch a playoff spot and send Gotham on the road to North Carolina for the first round.
“I held on to one of those boxes, and we went down to North Carolina, so I brought them with me just in case,” said Muller. “It was a vibe of, ‘Every game, this could be it, but we’re just going to keep going.’ We were constantly preparing for an emotional breakdown, either tears of joy or tears of pain.”
Gotham topped North Carolina, then beat Portland on the road to secure a spot in the finals.
“I went to watch parties for the playoff games and the energy at those watch parties was amazing,” said Pankok. “People were just like, ‘Yeah, this family has been through so much.’”
Once Gotham clinched a spot in the final, which would be held in San Diego just six days after their victory over Portland, Cloud 9 members scrambled. This was unfathomable just a few years ago, so a chance to see their club compete for a championship was too big to pass up.
“Once they were in the final, there was this frenzy of trying to get everybody out there that we could,” said Pankok who had made plans to attend the final regardless. One of Cloud 9’s capos crowdfunded to raise the money to travel, while some members who worked for United flew in the morning of the game and flew out right after.
“Every day there were more people saying ‘I’m in,’” said Muller.
Meanwhile, Muller was coordinating how to transport a huge bass drum across the country.
“We’ve never traveled anywhere with it where I couldn’t put it in my car, I’ve never flown with it,” said Muller of the drum. “So I had to call a percussion place out there, they called [bass drum manufacturer] Pearl directly. They got it out to me in three days. But there was a lot of planning. It was a hectic week.”
The championship itself was a dream, with Gotham defeating OL Reign 2-1 after a dramatic finish.
“When they blew the whistle everyone was just hugging each other, people were crying and screaming,” said Pankok.
Fans and players who had endured seasons of darkness were now basking in the light of a championship.
“Once the players started coming over, especially the folks like Mandy Freeman and Imani Dorsey who went through so much crap, for them to finally get this, it was very emotional,” said Muller. “It was joyous, that’s the best way to describe it.”
Cloud 9 members even gave Freeman some of the now-iconic tissues that were brought out for the final.
“I think we ended up giving some to Mandy Freeman, because she was bawling when she came over to us,” said Muller.
Venmo payments for celebratory drinks from other supporters around the league poured in, and by the end of the night, a small group of Cloud 9 members found a quiet bar in San Diego and closed out the night toasting and reminiscing.
“It was a great way to celebrate the moment,” said Pankok.
Now, Cloud 9 is in uncharted territory. Gotham is not only the defending champion, it landed some of the most coveted free agents of the off-season, including Rose Lavelle, Emily Sonnett, Crystal Dunn and Tierna Davidson, giving Gotham an Avengers-level lineup.
Once the lovable losers of the league, Gotham fans now have a target on their backs.
“I feel like up until this point, everybody in the league has been kind of rooting for Gotham a little bit,” said Pankok. “I think that’s why so many supporters groups wanted to help us celebrate and were really happy for us, telling us that we deserve this. But now, we’re defending champions, we’ve got a title to defend, we’re going to have haters potentially for the first time. But we’re just having fun with it. It’s fun to be like, ‘Oh, we’re villains now, this is our heel turn.”