Photo Credit: Noe Llamas, Sipa USA via USA TODAY Sports
NJ/NY Gotham FC aren't done building their “super team” just yet, signing English defender Jess Carter to a multi-year contract that keeps them at the team until 2026.
The decision to move to America was the natural next step for the 26-year-old dual citizen. After six years with Chelsea and 10 years playing professionally in England, she was looking for a change. She had been keeping her eye on the National Women's Soccer League for some time, watching it grow and waiting for the right time in her career to try out a new experience.
“I've always been interested in the NWSL. My dad's side of the family is from here and I've really followed the league since I was a little kid,” Carter told The Equalizer exclusively. “It was always a matter of timing, but over the years I've seen the league grow in a really good way.”
Specifically, Carter had his eye on Gotham FC, the NWSL champions for 2023. After his fiancée, Gotham goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger, signed with the team earlier this season, Carter got a front-row seat to the team, further solidifying his desire to join the NJ/NY team.
“Seeing what they’ve already accomplished and what they’re going to accomplish, I really wanted to be a part of this journey. [head coach] Juan Carlos [Amorós] “I'm really proud of what we've accomplished as a team,” Carter said. “Gotham shares the same values as me. How you treat people, how you treat your team, those are my biggest values. I think I can be a really good football player by being surrounded by people who care about other people and really care about each other as people before they're football players. That's the most important thing.”
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