‘[Gotham] will give me the confidence to try new things and improve’: Jess Cater signs multi-year deal with Gotham FC

Photo Copyright Noe Llamas for Sipa USA via USA TODAY Sports

It would seem that NJ/NY Gotham FC is not quite done building its ‘super team,’ signing English defender Jess Carter on a multi-year deal through 2026. 

The decision to move stateside was a logical next step for the 26-year-old dual citizen. After six years at Chelsea and 10 years as a professional in England, she was ready for a change. She had been eying the National Women’s Soccer League for some time, watching the growth of the league and waiting for the right moment in her career to try her hand at a new experience. 

“I’ve always been interested in the NWSL – my dad’s side of the family is from here and ever since I was young I’ve paid a lot of attention to the league,” Carter exclusively told The Equalizer. “It was always about timing, but over the years I have seen the league grow in a really positive direction.”

Specifically, Carter had been paying attention to the 2023 NWSL Champions, Gotham FC. After her fiancée, Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, signed with the team earlier this season, Carter got a front-row seat to the team, only deepening her desire to join the NJ/NY side.

“I really want to be part of the journey, especially after seeing what they’ve done already and what [head coach] Juan Carlos [Amorós] has achieved with the team,” Carter said. “Gotham also shares my same values. How you treat people and how the team is treated are my biggest values. I think that I can really become a better football player when I’m surrounded by people who treat other people well, and really care for one another as people before footballers. That’s the most important thing.”