Esther González, Gotham FC’s all-time leading scorer, just mutually terminated her contract, stepping away from soccer and leaving a giant question mark over the defending champions. This is a wild move for a player who literally brought them their first NWSL championship in 2023, and then another in 2025. The club announced Monday that González would “temporarily” return to her home country of Spain to “attend to personal matters,” without getting into specifics.
Gotham’s All-Time Scorer: A Legacy and a Sudden Exit
González’s impact on Gotham FC cannot be overstated. Since joining the team in 2023, the Spanish forward has racked up 30 goals, making her the club’s all-time leading scorer. She was even a finalist for league MVP in 2025 during their second championship run. González herself said this journey “surpassed every expectation” she had, achieving “everything there is to achieve” and growing “as a player, as a professional and, most importantly, as a person.” She also mentioned New Jersey was where her family grew, after she and her wife, Estefanía Cruz, welcomed their first child in January. But despite all that history and success, she’s gone. What a turn.
Just When She Was Heating Up: The Reign Game and Beyond
Talk about timing, right? After a slow start to the season, González was absolutely starting to hit her stride. She crushed two braces in her last three games, knocking in two goals against the Utah Royals on July 10 and then another two against our own Seattle Reign on July 18. That brought her season total up to six goals, moving her rapidly up the league scoring list, even if she was still behind Barbra Banda’s 12 for the Orlando Pride. She wasn’t even available for Gotham’s 2-2 draw against the Portland Thorns on Friday, citing an excused absence. It’s tough to see a player hitting their peak form suddenly step away like this, especially after a performance against our Emerald City squad.
The wildest part? This departure feels incredibly timely as Gotham just brought in all-time NWSL leading scorer Sam Kerr. Kerr started in Friday’s game with González absent and even scored her first goal since returning to the league. It’s almost like a passing of the torch, but man, you gotta wonder what González’s “personal matters” are to make her step away when the squad just landed another superstar and she was playing her best ball of the year. Gotham definitely needs Kerr to step up big time to fill the void left by their all-time leading scorer.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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