After seven years, the NWSL’s all-time leading regular season goalscorer is returning to the league. Australian international Sam Kerr has joined Gotham FC through 2030, the club announced on Monday. The deal brings Kerr back to the United States after a stellar career with Chelsea FC.
She was with the Women’s Super League side since 2020 and won five WSL titles, three FA Cups, and three League Cups with the Blues. She reached the UEFA Women’s Champions League final in 2021 and scored 116 goals across all competitions and leaves as the club’s co-record scorer in the WSL era alongside Fran Kirby.
Now Kerr returns to a familiar club that has grown up in her absence. Kerr was once a member of Gotham FC’s predecessor, Sky Blue FC, from 2015 to 2017.
“I’m incredibly excited to return to Gotham FC and to this city,” said Kerr. “This club was an important part of my journey, and to come back at this moment, with everything Gotham has built, is really special. The ambition here is clear, and I’m looking forward to helping this team compete for trophies and create more history.”
Kerr first broke into NWSL with the now-defunct Western New York Flash in 2013 at just 19 years old. She was then traded to Sky Blue in 2015 and spent three seasons with the club and had a career year in 2017 when she scored a then-record 17 goals, earned the 2017 Golden Boot and was awarded NWSL MVP.
She was then traded to the Chicago Red Stars (now Stars FC) in 2018, and in her two seasons with the club, she won two more Golden Boot awards and her second NWSL MVP. Her 2019 MVP honor made her the first NWSL player to ever win two NWSL MVP awards. Following her first-ever NWSL Championship appearance with Chicago, Kerr departed for Chelsea FC.
Now she’s returned to the league where she made a name for herself, and a franchise that has long shed the narrative of being the least desirable club. Following a rebrand in 2021, Gotham FC are no longer a perennial last-place club; they are undeniable contenders, winners of two NWSL Championships in the last three seasons, and, most recently, the Concacaf W Champions Cup and the 2026 NWSL Challenge Cup.
“Sam is one of the defining players of her generation and a game-changing talent who has consistently delivered at the highest levels of world football,” said president of soccer operations Yael Averbuch West.
“Her winning mentality, relentless competitiveness, and ability to decide matches in an instant make her one of the most impactful players in the game. Bringing Sam back to Gotham is a landmark moment for our club, and we couldn’t be more excited.”
Kerr is just the latest player to leave Europe for the NWSL. U.S. women’s national team captain Lindsey Heaps is set to join her home state club, Denver Summit FC, in Colorado, and Norway’s Guro Reiten recently signed with Gotham FC in March. Kerr’s return to NWSL means a reunion of two former Chelsea starters with Reiten on the roster.
The familiarity doesn’t end there; Kerr is reunited with Gotham defender Mandy Freeman, who was a rookie during Kerr’s final year with Sky Blue. Savannah McCaskill and Tierna Davidson were also teammates with Kerr during her time in Chicago.
Her attention will also turn to next year’s 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with the move bringing Kerr slightly closer to the tournament. Kerr’s the captain of the Matildas and considered the face of Australian football. She made her senior debut at 15 years old and has 75 goals over 139 appearances and helped lead the team to the 2023 World Cup semifinals on home soil.
For Gotham, landing Kerr is a big statement for the club — a clear validation of what they have built and how they continue to grow. It’s also a chance for Kerr to build on what she’s already done in NWSL and to win an elusive NWSL title, something she was unable to chase down before leaving for London. Now back with a club that now knows what it takes to get over playoff hurdles, it’s the perfect time to welcome Kerr back to where it all started.
