Sources: Ex

Gotham FC has reached an agreement with Australian forward Sam Kerr to bring her back to the club and the NWSL, according to multiple sources.

Kerr, currently a free agent, spent six successful years with English club Chelsea, where she earned the Women’s Super League Golden Boot twice, in addition to securing five league titles and six domestic cups.

The forward capped off her time at Chelsea with a performance in May, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 match against Manchester United, tying the record with 116 goals for the club.

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Kerr began her professional career in the NWSL, including a stint with Gotham FC, which was previously known as Sky Blue FC. In 2017, she won both the NWSL Golden Boot and MVP awards while at Sky Blue FC, netting 17 goals in 22 matches.

She then transferred to the Chicago Red Stars (now simply known as the Stars), where she achieved 16 goals in her first season. In 2019, she set a new single-season scoring record with 18 goals in 21 games while also representing Australia at the World Cup, missing several NWSL games due to international duties.

Despite not having played in the NWSL since 2019, she remains the all-time leader in regular-season goals scored, with 77.

Gotham FC refused to comment on the signing when approached by ESPN.

Speculation about Kerr’s potential return to the NWSL circulated in the media throughout spring.

Kerr and American midfielder Kristie Mewis recently married and now have a child together. Mewis, originally from the Boston area, has played for six different NWSL teams throughout her career and has not officially retired since leaving West Ham United in 2025.

Although Kerr has enjoyed considerable success, she does not currently qualify for the NWSL’s new High Impact Player rule as originally designed. This rule allows teams to exceed the salary cap by up to $1 million for star players, but it includes specific eligibility criteria.

After tearing her ACL in January 2024, Kerr was sidelined for 20 months and thus has not received individual accolades in recent seasons.

In a separate transaction, Gotham FC secured $350,000 in expansion allocation money from Boston Legacy FC in exchange for defender Lilly Reale in a transaction confirmed on Wednesday. This allocation money is valid until the end of 2027 and can also be applied to cap expenses.

Kerr began her journey in the NWSL with the Western New York Flash (now the North Carolina Courage) during the league’s inaugural season in 2013.

She has also had experiences with Perth Glory and Sydney FC throughout her career in Australia.

Kerr made her debut for Australia at just 15 years old in 2009 and has since served as captain, including during the 2023 World Cup on home soil, where she played despite managing a calf injury. Australia reached the semifinals for the first time.

She is returning to a Gotham FC that has transformed significantly since she left nearly a decade ago.

After a game in July 2018 when Kerr returned to New Jersey with the Red Stars to face Sky Blue FC, she expressed her wish to support her former teammates, saying, “the girls deserve better.” Just a week later, The Equalizer published an investigation uncovering unsatisfactory amenities at Sky Blue FC’s practice facility, which lacked basic necessities.

In 2021, the team rebranded as NJ/NY Gotham FC and relocated to Red Bull Arena (now known as Sports Illustrated Stadium), moving closer to New York City.

Earlier this month, Gotham announced plans to renovate and customize the former training facility of the New York Red Bulls to create their own dedicated space for the first time.

Gotham is also in negotiations with NYCFC regarding a potential agreement to play at the new Etihad Park in Queens, set to open next year.