Jaedyn Shaw got on the stat sheet for Gotham FC before she ever even moved into her New Jersey apartment—that’s how quick her trade from the North Carolina Courage to the NJ/NY side was. With a goal and an assist over her first four matches with the club, she’s already fitting right in.
“It’s definitely been good, we’ve been on the road a lot, but I’m starting to settle in and finally moved into my apartment and got my stuff out of suitcases,” Shaw says. “Soccerwise, it’s been really good. I feel like it’s been a really seamless transition. I’m excited for the future with this team and finishing out on a high.”
At only 20 years old, the Texas native now finds herself on her third NWSL team in three years. She began her career as a teenager in July 2022 when she signed with the San Diego Wave, moving to the Courage via a trade in January 2025.
However, her time in North Carolina did not go as planned, with the young star making only 10 starts as her playing time dwindled. In recent months, she began to think more about the future of her career, what that might look like at the Courage, and started to feel like what she envisioned for herself wasn’t lining up with what was unfurling on the field.
“I was just trying to figure out where I fit in the system, and what does that look like for me for the next year, because my contract went until the end of next year,” Shaw says. “Obviously, stats-wise, it didn’t go as planned, but I left San Diego to challenge myself, and I definitely feel like I was challenged.”
Reflecting on this trying period, Shaw came to the realization that this was the first time she faced a considerable struggle in her career. She needed to learn patience and not to blame herself when it came to poor results or low minutes.
“My career is not going to be a straight upward [trajectory], it’s a rollercoaster, there will be downfalls, there are going to be lessons learned,” she says. “I needed to give myself more grace and make the most of my time.”
Shaw sees her time at the Courage as one of positive growth and change, and she is thankful for the opportunity she got with the North Carolina club.
“I’m happy I left on a high,” she says. “I was definitely growing in that environment; I just wanted something better for my future.”
An updated collective bargaining agreement has recently given NWSL players more autonomy over their careers, so Shaw had to approve her trade from the Courage to Gotham.
According to a league source, Gotham first approached the Courage about a possible trade, but the initial approaches were rebuffed. Shaw herself was not in the mindset of leaving, even during a difficult time in her career.
“I am not someone that is just going to leave every time a situation gets hard,” she says. “I am someone who is resilient and willing to go through hard things to get to the other side, but once I started to really speak to the [Gotham] coaches and girls on the team, talking to people whose opinion I trust, I felt like this was going to be a really good move for me and what I wanted my future to look like.”
As Shaw looked to the immediate future, she found in Gotham a team whose goals aligned with her own, offering an individualized approach to her training and a place where she could find her fit. She sees Gotham’s approach to training as one that fits her roots, where individual work feeds the goals of the whole within a professional environment with high-level players.
“I’m not going to be afraid to take a big step, and I know I’m not the most predictable girl in the league,” Shaw says with a laugh. “I think for me, just looking at all of the things that lined up over the course of the conversations that I had with staff, it was a decision that ultimately felt really good, I was really at peace about, and I haven’t looked back.”
Instant impact at Gotham
It’s been less than a month since Gotham picked up Shaw for $1.25 million in a record-breaking transfer from the Courage, but she’s already starting to feel right at home. From the training environment to off-field team activities, Shaw has found the process of joining Gotham an enjoyable one—and it’s all because of the people.
“With all the girls, the staff, I feel like I’ve fit right in with the group and,” she says, “I knew some of the players on the team already, and it’s been good to come in, play with such incredible players, continue to develop and help the team win. Whether that’s an assist, a defensive action, or a goal, I’m having fun out on the field and off.”
Shaw now joins a team full of familiar and new faces, and she is finding the best ways she can contribute to a Gotham team on the verge of clinching a playoff spot. From her senior national team experience with Rose Lavelle to her former youth national team teammate Sarah Schupansky, she’s growing new and developing existing on-field relationships. In particular, it will be her partnership with Gotham’s top goalscorer and Golden Boot contender Esther that may prove to be the pivotal piece to Gotham’s final push down the stretch of the regular season.
“I was just really excited to come in and play with everyone,” Shaw says. “I know Esther is really good, and I knew I was going to have to come in and be someone that watches her movements to help facilitate her. I think that’s starting to blossom a bit. We were finding a bit of a groove in the Portland game, and we’re starting to figure out each other’s movements.”
Players, coaches and staff at Gotham have quickly welcomed Shaw into the fray, supporting her on the field and off, and making sure the transition is as smooth as possible. The team sees Shaw as eager to learn, to understand the demands of each position and put in the hours needed to get up to speed with Gotham’s system.
“She’s a fantastic player, she can make the difference on the pitch at any given time and has a special ability,” said head coach Juan Carlos Amorós. “It has not been an easy transition for her in the middle of the year changing absolutely everything on the pitch and off the pitch, but she’s been fantastic with it.”
Amorós did not personally know Shaw before her trade to Gotham, but was instantly amazed by her maturity as a player and a human being, which has allowed her to fit in straight away with her teammates and the staff.
“She’s been so great and has fit right in on and off the field,” said Gotham teammate Jaelin Howell. “We’ve had some trouble with the ‘Jae’ and ‘Jae’ situation in the midfield, but no, she’s been awesome, has had an immediate impact, and we’re super happy to have her. The sky’s the limit for her here.”
As Shaw adjusts to her new training environment and team, she is also learning how to make the most of her time in the New York/New Jersey area. The Dallas Cowboys fan attended a Giants game with her teammates and enjoyed the experience as “a neutral.” She hasn’t yet tried one of the region’s famous bagels, but it’s on the agenda. Right now, her focus is on her career, her new team, and getting to know the passionate fans at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
“I just want to invest all of myself into this club,” she says. “I want to give everything I can for however long I can.”
