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Why Gotham FC’s Jordynn Dudley Should Be Named 2026 NWSL Rookie of the Year

The 21-year-old helped lift Gotham FC to the club’s first Shield, lighting up the league in her debut.
Jenna Tonelli|
Jordynn Dudley is a Rookie of the Year favorite after a breakout campaign with Gotham FC.
Jordynn Dudley is a Rookie of the Year favorite after a breakout campaign with Gotham FC. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jordynn Dudley may have burst onto the scene as Gotham FC’s rookie this year, but for those watching closely, her professional success is no surprise.

​The 21-year-old Georgia native stood out at Florida State University. While there, the striker racked up the awards and accolades: two-time NCAA national champion (2023, ’25), three-time All-ACC First Team Selection and three U.S. Coaches All-America honors—not to mention her 30 goals and 29 assists over 53 collegiate matches. Gotham, like every other National Women’s Soccer League team, kept a close eye on her.

“Jordynn could have played for any NWSL club that she wanted,” says Gotham president of soccer operations Yael Averbuch West. “I give so much credit to our scouting team. They didn’t find Jordynn Dudley, everyone knows she’s excellent, but they arm me with the confidence when we need to try hard for a player and we’re in a tough negotiation, and for Jordynn, it was, ‘do whatever you can.’”

And so she did. 

Throughout the offseason, even when Averbuch West was in Spain with Gotham for preseason training in January and coordinating across several hours of time difference, she knew Dudley would not only be a difference-maker for Gotham, but that Gotham could be a place where Dudley would thrive and transition seamlessly to the professional level.

“I joked that for three nights in a row, I basically didn’t sleep at all because I was waiting to go back and forth on this,” says Averbuch West. “It was worth every minute of sleep I lost.”

The results back up Averbuch West’s sleepless nights. On the league’s most stacked roster, featuring Esther, Rose Lavelle, Midge Purce and Jaedyn Shaw, Dudley quickly became a starter. She totaled five goals and three assists in 26 appearances across all competitions, including in the team’s NWSL Challenge Cup victory.

​In 1,725 regular-season minutes, she drew 61 fouls, 21 of which she won in the final third (the most in the league). She twice earned NWSL Rookie of the Month honors and was named to the Best XI twice. The only other rookie to earn Best XI honors twice for Gotham was 2024 ROTY Jenna Nighswonger.

“It was really cool [to earn Rookie of the Month in April],” says Dudley. “It gave me a lot more confidence going into the second half of the season, but I’m obviously not complacent with that.”

Dudley’s contributions to Gotham go well beyond the stat sheet. She is a threat in behind, can hold up play with her back to goal, is good on the ball, and, according to Averbuch West, has a unique mind for the game in her tactics and movement off the ball.

“We played against Florida State in preseason 2024, and Jordynn destroyed us,” says Averbuch West. “I have nightmares about that game! But the way Jordynn presses, we are a typically high pressing team, but the capability to press as an attacking player for us is really important.”

As Dudley adjusted from college to the pros, she took stock of how big a jump it was, especially with the number of high-level players she was now training with at Gotham. Knowing she had to earn her spot, she put her head down and got to work, learning from the players around her and giving 100% every day.

“The entire staff, I feel like they have confidence in me and trust me, and I felt that before even coming here,” says Dudley. “[My teammates] have also all really helped me, especially on the field. They’re constantly telling me things to help me, giving me ideas, and taking me under their wing.”

But in late October, the unthinkable happened. With just three games left in the regular season, Dudley sustained a foot fracture during a training session, landing her on the season-ending injury list. Even so, Dudley’s impact on Gotham’s 2026 run is immeasurable. With the club’s first Shield win, the team knows it owes part of that season-long success to its rookie.

“Rookie of the Year is something that she deserves; for me, she deserves it,” said head coach Juan Carlos Amorós. “She’s been really a game-changer in the league, and sometimes we tend to look only at how many goals, how many assists, but I think there are so many things. [There are] chances that she’s created, balls that she’s recovered. She’s by far one of the most fouled players in the league. She’s been such a joy to watch, to work with. She’s been a continuous threat for the opposing teams. She’s adapted to the pro world and performed consistently throughout the year.”

“I think she’s been unbelievable, really a game changer for us, and she’s there every moment of the day alongside the players now even though she can’t step on the field,” said Averbuch West said following Gotham’s Shield win last Sunday. “You saw her today with her teammates. She’s putting in the work to get back and be healthy. I vote her Rookie of the Year.”

Dudley faces steep competition for the coveted accolade this season. The Houston Dash’s goal-scoring machine Kat Rader along with San Diego Wave’s rookie duo of defender Mimi Van Zanten and midfielder Lia Godfrey, all of whom have stepped up and made immediate impacts on their teams. 

But with the Dash eliminated from the playoffs and San Diego’s falling short of the Shield, Dudley stands alone as a complete player who, on the league’s strongest roster, became instrumental to its success.

“There’ve been some great rookies this year; don’t get me wrong,” said Amorós. “Jordynn has definitely been, for me, the best of all of them in terms of how much impact she’s had on the team, in the league and on and off the ball, and it's enjoyable to watch. We’re gutted that she’s not going to be with us this last period.”

Many, including former player-turned-analyst Ali Riley, agree with Amorós’ assessment. “The control she’s able to maintain and the way she can slice and dice while taking long strides at speed, it became clear that the most efficient way to stop her was to foul her, to try and prevent her from breaking into space,” says Riley. “She steadily got better and better, and learned the ways to be dangerous in the league so fast.”

Despite Dudley’s injury setback, and regardless of whether she wins the ROTY award, Averbuch West still sees a young player with her whole career to look forward to. “I think she’s just getting started.”

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Jenna Tonelli
JENNA TONELLI

Jenna Tonelli is a writer for Sports Illustrated Soccer. She is passionate about women’s soccer, particularly the NWSL, USWNT, and the Italian women’s national team. When not thinking about soccer, Jenna can be found drinking iced coffee and rooting for the Buffalo Bills.

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