November 26, 2025 - Brooklyn Downtown Star

Liberty hire Warriors Assistant Chris DeMarco as new Head Coach

BQE Admin on November 26, 2025

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

The head coaching search for the New York Liberty has finally come to a close, as they tabbed Golden State Warriors assistant Chris DeMarco for the position last Friday.

For two months the team searched for the successor to Sandy Brondello, who led New York to their first ever WNBA title in 2024 before her contract expired at the end of this past season. Brondello was a fan and player favorite, crafting deep connections with Liberty stars over her four years at the helm. As head coach, Brondello became the winningest in the franchise’s 28-year history.

Multiple Liberty stars stood up for Brondello when she was scrutinized following the team’s elimination in the 2025 postseason, and with contracts expiring and a new CBA yet to be signed, it remains unclear if they will all return. Still, Liberty General Manager Jonathan Kolb remained optimistic that New York’s top talent will look to return for the 2026 season and beyond.

DeMarco brings with tons of high-level experience, part of Steve Kerr’s coaching staff that saw the Warriors rule the NBA and create a dynasty. He was on the Dubs’ staff for all four of their recent championships, and given the similarities in Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu’s games, it will be interesting to see how that translates to the WNBA and to New York.

DeMarco was also named the Head Coach of the Bahamanian men’s national team in 2019, which could lead to a solid relationship with 2024 Finals MVP Jonquel Jones, who suits up for their women’s team.

Warriors guard Buddy Hield commented on DeMarco’s leadership when he showed up late to a Bahamas film session.

“He locked me out of film. That was big time,” Hield said about his former assistant and current national team leader. “He wanted me to be disciplined. He was like ‘you didn’t watch film? You should feel bad as a leader not being on time.’ You respect that from a coach.”

With discipline and a tactical eye at the forefront, DeMarco’s next task will be to return the Liberty to WNBA dominance. Despite starting last season 9-0, New York faltered later in the season, ultimately falling to a Mercury team coached by a former NBA assistant coach in Nate Tibbetts. Now they’re looking to capture that same experience as they pursue a second title.

Gotham FC Wins 2nd NWSL Title in 3 Years

BQE Admin on November 26, 2025

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

Confetti flew in Manhattan on Monday to celebrate another NWSL title for Gotham FC. The Bats won their second women’s soccer title in three years, emerging as a dark horse from the 8th and final seed in the playoffs to beat the top-seeded Kansas City Current, 4th seeded Orlando Pride, and ultimately the 2nd seeded Washington Spirit.

From June 13 until October 5, Gotham were only defeated once across all competitions. The run of 9 wins and 6 draws saw them rise up into postseason contention while also helping them qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup semifinals in May of 2026. With the amount of talent on the roster, it was shocking to see Gotham finish so low in the standings. Still, when it came to the postseason they looked more than up to the task.

Leading the line all year for Gotham was Esther González, a veteran Spanish striker. González scored 13 goals in the NWSL campaign, adding another pair in Champions Cup action. USWNT star Rose Lavelle scored 6 in the regular season, but her biggest of the season came in the Cup final against Washington. After a series of stepovers by Brazilian international Bruninha, Lavelle unleashed a first-time strike from the top of the box.

The ball curled past Spirit goalkeeper Aubrey Kingsbury and into the left hand corner of the net, with the Gotham players swarming to embrace the potential game-winning goalscorer. Gotham were able to see out the final 10 minutes of regulation, as well as 7 minutes of added time before the final whistle blew to crown them champions.

With multiple members of the USWNT on the Gotham roster, USA legend Megan Rapinoe was seen celebrating on the pitch with her former teammates. Gotham has five members of their roster called up for the USA’s upcoming friendly matches against Italy. Joining Lavelle are defenders Lilly Reale and Emily Sonnett and midfielders Jaelin Howell and Jaedyn Shaw.

Additionally, four other Gotham players will be joining their national teams for upcoming matches. Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger will suit up for Germany as they take on Esther González and her Spanish national team. Bruninha and Gabi Portilho will both head to Europe with the Brazilian national team for a pair of friendly matches against Norway and Portugal.

NYC Upset the Union, Head to Miami for Conference Finals

BQE Admin on November 26, 2025

By Noah Zimmerman

noah@queensledger.com

In stunning fashion, New York City FC upset the top-seeded Philadelphia Union on the road, punching a ticket to Miami for the Eastern Conference Finals. Even without star striker Alonso Martinez, who suffered a knee injury while on international duty, and midfielder Andres Perea, injured in the Round 1 finale against Charlotte, New York were again able to find the net through a moment of brilliance.

It was NYC club legend Maxi Moralez who scored the lone goal in the match, getting on the end of a gorgeous through ball from Nico Fernandez after a great inside cut by Agustin Ojeda. The 38-year-old Argentine midfielder tucked the ball past Philly goalkeeper Andre Blake just ahead of the half-hour mark, sending the sizable contingent of traveling NYC fans into a frenzy.

For the last hour of the match, the City defense rose once more to the challenge. Despite the Union’s persistent attack, only 5 of their 18 shots were put on target. The centerback pairing of Justin Haak and Thiago Martins was nearly impenetrable, with Raul Gustavo and Tayvon Gray equally impressive on either side of them.

Standing tall between the posts and playing hero multiple times was Matt Freese. The Pennsylvania native made his Major League Soccer debut for the Union back in 2019, and in 2021 manned Philadelphia’s goal against New York City as the Boys in Blue won 2-1 en route to their first MLS Cup title.

In his first postseason appearance against his former club, Freese put on a remarkable display. “Matty Ice” saved all 5 Union shots on goal, including an otherworldly stop at the near post against Francis Westfield in the 74th minute and a long-distance strike from Milan Iloski in 2nd half stoppage time.

NYC had only a few looks at Philly’s goal after Moralez opened the scoring, the most notable being a bold attempt by Nico Fernandez from midfield. Nico spotted Blake off his line before attempting to curl the ball past him from inside his own half, forcing the Jamaican international to sprint back and just barely clear the ball off the goal line. Blake instantly grabbed at his hamstring, and after a few minutes he was forced into a substitution.

The Union subbed on top prospect Cavan Sullivan with 10 minutes remaining in regulation, but the youngster was just barely unable to set up Bruno Damiani, whose shot was blocked at the top of the box. NYC were able to see out the final minutes, and again the stadium fell silent aside from the travelling fans as the full time whistle blew.

The win marks New York’s third trip to the Eastern Conference Finals, having visited the Union both in 2021 and 2022. Now New York will head down to Florida for their third matchup with Inter Miami CF this year. It will be the second postseason contest between the two clubs, with NYC winning 3-0 in 2022. This will be the first time they face Lionel Messi in the playoffs, with the all-time great winning the league’s Golden Boot and contributing to all four goals in their Eastern Conference Semifinal win over Cincinnati.

Kickoff from Chase Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale will be on Saturday, November 29, at 6pm. The winner will advance to the 2025 MLS Cup Final against newcomers San Diego FC or the Vancouver Whitecaps, slated for December 6 at 2:30pm.

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