With four blockbuster signings, Gotham FC and Yael Averbuch West are shaping the playbook on NWSL free agency

Photo Copyright Dennis Schneidler for USA TODAY Sports

Yael Averbuch West doesn’t get much rest these days, even over the holidays. Between time with her two toddlers and husband, the NJ/NY Gotham FC General Manager can usually be found fielding calls, taking meetings, and putting the finishing touches on her team’s roster ahead of the 2024 National Women’s Soccer League season with passion and purpose guiding the way.

“I was joking that this is my season, I’m in season right now,” Averbuch West told The Equalizer. “One of the wonderful things about what we’re building is that our coaches have brought a very clear style and structure which has made our evaluation of the roster and our player pipeline a lot more clear for us.”

On Thursday, Gotham announced the signings of U.S. women’s national team standouts Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett through free agency, adding to an already stacked roster that just signed Crystal Dunn and Tierna Davidson only a few days earlier.

In just a year and a half, Averbuch West took Gotham from NWSL bottom-dwellers to champions, but the change at the club cannot be measured in just points or trophies. In creating this change, the coaching staff helmed by Juan Carlos Amorós along with a group of scouts and analysts considered every aspect of player profiles in order to produce the best possible roster for the upcoming season.