Sam Kerr makes return to US club football to be closer to wife

[p]League champions [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/gotham-fc/l8iSqzTb/"]Gotham FC[/a] announced Monday that ⁠they signed the forward through the 2030 season. Kerr, 32, was a free agent after her contract with English stalwart [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chelsea/Q7Hu2UDD/"]Chelsea[/a] expired.[/p][p]Kerr played ‌119 career regular-season games (113 starts) across her seven seasons with three teams in the NWSL, ‌including three years with Sky Blue FC (now Gotham FC) from 2015-17.[/p][p]After ‌playing the 2018 season with the Chicago Red Stars, Kerr played a season ‌for the Perth Glory in her native Australia (2018-19) before returning to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chicago-stars/I9zHnxqt/"]‌Chicago[/a] in 2019. She joined Chelsea in the Women's Super League in late 2019.[/p][p]Despite her 6 1/2-year absence, her 77 regular-season goals are still an NWSL record. In ‌2017, she won the Golden Boot and MVP ⁠awards with Sky Blue FC following ‌a season in which she scored 17 goals in 22 games.[/p][embed guid="9837dd3a-b694-4a55-ac35-f722876a77af" url="https://x.com/GothamFC/status/2071597513526919297" social-type="twitter" /][p]"[b]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,[/b]" ​Gotham FC general manager Yael Averbuch West said in a statement.[/p][p]"Her winning mentality, relentless competitiveness and ability to decide matches in an instant make ⁠her one of the most ​impactful players in the game.[/p][p]"[b]Bringing Sam back to Gotham is a landmark moment for our club, and we couldn't be more excited.[/b]"[/p][p]Kerr played for Chelsea for six years, scoring 116 career goals. She was a two-time ‌winner of the Women's Super League Golden Boot, and the team won five league titles and six domestic cups.[/p][embed guid="2823e534-1281-4776-a37b-eb1ea9ad12b5" url="https://x.com/JeffKassouf/status/2071624384674980314" social-type="twitter" /][p]Kerr will debut for Gotham after the NWSL's transfer window opens on July 14. Gotham host the Washington Spirit on July 15 in the Queens Classic in New York.[/p][p]"[b]I'm incredibly excited to return to Gotham FC and to this city,[/b]" Kerr said in a statement.[/p][p]"This club was an important part of my journey, and to come back at this moment, with everything Gotham has built, is really ‌special.[/p][p]"[b]The ambition here is clear, and I'm looking forward to helping ​this team compete for trophies and create more history.[/b]"[/p][p]Kerr is ineligible ‌for the NWSL's new High Impact Player rule, which goes into place on Wednesday. The rule allows teams to pay star players up to US$1 million above the salary cap.[/p][p]Kerr misses the criteria for the rule, mostly due to missing 20 months of play after ⁠tearing her ACL in January ⁠2024.[/p][p]Kerr's return to the States ‌follows her marriage to midfielder [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mewis-kristie/YwiRcm0S/"]Kristie Mewis[/a]. The couple recently had a child ​together.[/p]