HARRISON, New Jersey — Legendary Chelsea goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger has left the club, officially completing her transfer to Gotham FC in the USA’s National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
Gotham announced the deal, noting Berger has signed a one-year contract through 2024, with an option for the 2025 National Women´s Soccer League season.
Berger has played with Chelsea of the Women´s Super League since 2019, helping the club secure the WSL title for four straight seasons from 2019-23. She was a part of the German squad that competed in the 2023 Women´s World Cup.
“Ann is a very strong and experienced goalkeeper, who is a true professional. She brings international experience and has performed really well consistently at the highest level,” Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amoros said according to AP.
Before Chelsea, Berger played for Birmingham from 2016-19. In 2017, she was named the WSL 1 Players´ Player of the Year, alongside Manchester City´s Jill Scott, after returning from thyroid cancer.
The goalkeeper closed out the season by being named to the Professional Footballer´s Association Women´s Team of the Year. Berger also spent time with Paris Saint-Germain from 2014-16.
Berger began her professional career in Germany at Sindelfingen before making a move to Turbine Potsdam. Gotham released goalkeeper Erin McKinney.
Gotham FC are the current defending champions, triumphing in the playoffs are finishing 6th during the regular season.
(The 2024 NWSL season started last month.) Berger, who has signed a one-year deal with an option for a second, is the second ex-Chelsea player to join at the club this season, after our one-time forward/wing-back Crystal Dunn.
The 33-year-old Berger will be expected to compete for the starting position with fellow new signing Cassie Miller and former first-choice Abby Smith who is coming back from nearly a year out injured.
During her time at Chelsea, Berger won just about everything humanly possible, except for the Champions League title, which continues to elude us.
She joined Chelsea in 2019, and we’ve won the league every year since, adding three FA Cups, two League Cups, and that one solitary UWCL final in 2021 — routinely winning the PFA’s best goalkeeper award during that time.
In recent years, injuries and a major health scare had reduced her playing time, and the next generation had taken over in the meantime.
“An amazing servant, I’ll always say, I’ve never seen a goalkeeper save penalties like Ann, the best in the world. Some of the difficulties she’s had to endure and go through, her own personal health … She has legendary status at Chelsea.
“But this is football. She wants to play, she wants to go to the Olympics and I admire that about players, and I know she’ll go with our blessing and we wish her the best of luck.”
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