Sam Kerr took Gotham to the top of the National Women’s Soccer League table with an equalizing goal in a 2-2 away draw at Portland Thorns on Saturday (AEST).
Celebrations for the Australian superstar were muted after she fired the ball past teammate Matildas goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold in the 62nd minute.
Sam Kerr scores for Gotham. Stan
“No nonsense, clarity, an instinctive shot and a goal from the striker,” Ricky Lopez-Espin said in a report from Stan Sport.
“She hit him with some vindictiveness, wanting to make her presence known.”
It looked as if Kerr would then lead her team to victory at Providence Park when she sent off Thorns center back Jayden Perry in the 73rd minute.
Referee Katya Koroleva had no hesitation in handing out a red card after Perry pulled Kerr down, denying her a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
Gotham’s Sam Kerr loses to Portland Thorns’ Jayden Perry. Getty
Portland defended staunchly with 10 men, but the point was enough to lift Gotham over the Washington Spirit to the top of the standings.
It was Kerr’s first goal for Gotham in her third game for the club since joining from Chelsea in June.
Kerr is the leading scorer in NWSL history with 78 goals, despite not having played in the league since 2019.
Speaking ahead of the match, Kerr said the women’s A-League competition needed more investment to entice more Matildas to return home.
Kerr said many of the country’s top players would consider returning if the competition provided the right professional environment.
The 32-year-old said Australia’s top women’s league needed further development despite the progress it had made in recent years.
Kerr said the competition had previously benefited from the presence of national team players and Australians returning from overseas.
“We need to find a way to get all the best players back,” Kerr told ABC Sport.
“If it paid enough and it was a major league, a lot of us Matildas would come back, but to get better for the national team we will have to go abroad.”
Player salaries have been a key issue in the Women’s A League, which offers lower salaries than Australia’s other major women’s competitions and less than overseas football leagues.
The minimum salary for A-League women’s players last year was $26,500, lower than their NWSL counterparts, whose minimum salary in 2025 was $69,500.
The new collective bargaining agreement increased NWSL players’ annual earnings to $72,350 in 2026.
Trinity Rodman, the highest paid player in NWSL history, earns more than $2.87 million annually.
“The A-League was booming, or the W-League was booming back then, with national team players and NWSL players coming here, players from England,” Kerr said.
Several of Australia’s leading players, including Caitlin Foord, Steph Catley, Katrina Gorrie, Keira Cooney-Cross and Mary Fowler, are currently playing in Europe.
Kerr said the Women’s A League compares favorably to the NWSL in some respects but still requires more support to continue its growth.
“The A-League is probably more like the NWSL. It’s more transitional, probably at the same level as the NWSL off the field with those things,” she added.
“But I think the A-League will probably need a little more investment and a little more time.”
The Women’s A-League and NWSL were once among the world’s top women’s leagues, but most of Australia’s top players now play in Europe, with several Matildas based in the United States.
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