The UEFA Women’s European Championship semifinals kick off today at 3 p.m. in Switzerland and there will be three NJ/NY Gotham FC players taking part in this stage of the competition. They are Ann-Katrin Berger, Esther Gonzalez and Jess Carter.
Fans can watch as Gotham FC defender Jess Carter tries to help England defend its 2021 European Championship title in the final. Today, fans will want to tune in for Germany’s game against Spain where Gotham FC striker, ‘Esther’ will try to put one past her Gotham FC teammate and goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger in Zurich at 3 p.m.
Let’s take a closer look at how each of these players got to the summit of the game today.
Ann-Katrin Berger, The Ann-chor
The 34-year-old from Goppingen, Germany started her professional soccer career with Birmingham City eight years ago. At that point, she was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer and she beat it, going on to win four English league titles and three FA Cups with Chelea, which placed her firmly at the top of the English Women’s Soccer League (WSL).
After six seasons at Chelsea, Berger moved to NWSL for the first time. She joined Gotham FC and was the anchor that helped steady the team in its run to win the CONCACAF Women’s Champions Cup. She posted a shutout in the final and that championship was the first “continental trophy” for an American team. Berger was also named to the NWSL Best XI for the 2024 season and NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year.
To add to a litany of accomplishments in 2024, Berger was the starting goalkeeper for the German women’s Olympic team which won Bronze at the Paris Olympic games.
Fast forward to this year and Berger is now anchoring Germany and Gotham FC, just three years following her second Cancer diagnosis, which she beat as well. In the Euro 2025 quarterfinals vs France, Berger was again the deciding factor. She made a great save in extra time (as shown below) and then saved a penalty in the penalty shootout which helped her country prevail 6:5.
She will now be tasked with stopping her club teammate Esther Gonzalez and a dangerous Spanish team, which leads the tournament in goals scored (16) from advancing to the final. Germany is the most storied country in the history of the Women’s European Championships, having won a record eight times.
Esther González, “La Maquina”
The striker currently leads the golden boot race at the 2025 women’s Euros with four goals. All four were scored during the Group Stage.
The native of Huescar, Spain has been one of the best strikers in the world for the last four years. Beginning with Real Madrid in Spain’s Liga F in 2022-23, Esther scored 16 goals and four assists in 27 matches for the storied Spanish club.
She then made the big move to the best league in the world, NWSL, in 2023. In five games, she scored two goals for Gotham FC and helped them raise NWSL Cup later that December.
Like Berger, Esther played a big role in NJ/NY Gotham FC’s CONCACAF W Champions Cup victory, scoring “the title-winning goal” in that final.
Fast forward to this year and Esther is breaking Gotham FC records for goal scoring. The 10 goals she has in 13 matches so far this season make her the second player in franchise history to score double-digit goals in a single season with Sam Kerr (17 in 2017). Also this season, Esther has tied the NWSL record for braces in a single season with four.
Now she will be tasked with being the X-Factor for the defending World Cup champions as they try to defeat Germany, whom they have never beaten. Can Gotham’s Wunderkind create magic in tomorrow’s semi final?
Jess Carter, Another Anchor for Gotham FC
Last but not least, is England international and NJ/NY Gotham FC right-back Jess Carter. Carter was teammates with Berger on the 2017-18 Birmingham City team in England’s WSL, where she was honored with PFA Young Player of the Year. When she was 20, she moved to Chelsea along with Berger and won four English league titles and three FA Cups with the West London soccer club.
Not only did Carter accomplish team goals while at Chelsea, she accomplished a lot of individual ones as well. She was named “club’s Player’s Player of the Year” and to the UEFA Champions League Team of the Year in 2024 after her last season in London.
Carter has been an anchor for the Gotham backline since making the move to New Jersey one year ago. She has won 62 percent of her duels and 66 percent of aerial duels. She has made 20 interceptions and 21 clearances. The Warwick, England native has been disciplined, earning just two yellow cards in 20 games so far for Gotham FC.
She was a big part of the Gotham team that won the 2024 CONCACAF W Champions cup, which accumulates to 13 major tournament wins.
Carter was used as a substitute for left-back Alex Greenwood in England’s semifinal victory over Italy. She will now be tasked with shoring up a backline in the final against the winner of Germany vs Spain, which kicks off at 3 pmET.
Follow these Players by Watching Gotham FC
Fans will have the opportunity to see these three stars shine in NWSL soccer for the remainder of the season which runs until September. Right now, Gotham FC sit in eighth place (the final playoff spot) in the NWSL standings.
The NWSL season resumes for Gotham FC on Friday August 1 with a match against Chicago Stars at 8 p.m.
