Tactics Talk with Jess Carter
The NJ/NY Gotham FC and England defender talks the 2023 World Cup final, NWSL vs Europe, her favourite and least favourite roles, facing Lauren Hemp, partnership with Millie Bright, and more...
Jess Carter made a big move in 2024, leaving behind England for the first time to join then NWSL champions NJ/NY Gotham FC last summer.
The 27-year-old had become a mainstay of a highly successful Chelsea side since joining them from Birmingham City in 2018, over six years winning multiple domestic titles and becoming a key part of an England side which reached the 2023 World Cup final, with Carter a starter in the match against Spain.
A versatile player who has played in every area of the defence, as well as midfield during her Birmingham days, Carter has quietly become one of the most highly rated defenders in the game, but by her own admission has found the NWSL a tougher transition than even she believed it would be.
In the latest Tactics Talk, Carter discusses how she has found the move to the USA, the toughest forwards she has faced, the original step up to Chelsea, as well as analysing the biggest games from her career, including that World Cup final two years ago…
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“I didn’t really know much about the NWSL before [I joined],” openly admits Carter, adding, “Just because of the time differences and not being able to watch it. With half my family being American I always said I wanted to come here, but I felt it would be a little bit later down the line.
“We were successful at Chelsea, but the opportunity came up and how I felt I was ready to be finished at Chelsea, it came at a perfect time, but I thought it would be easier than it has been. The level I’d got to at Chelsea I felt would put me in a better position than what I have come into, but the NWSL is the hardest football I’ve ever had to play.”
On what has made the NWSL so tough, Carter continues, “The athleticism is out of this world, I don’t think I’ve come up against anything like it in Europe. I’ve always prided myself on defensive attributes, but every player I come up against here is faster than me, so I’ve had to develop a better set of defensive skills.
“What has surprised me is more teams do try to play, some try to overplay, and there are still transitions and the transitions here are another level. There’s more European players and coaches now, so some have a more technical style of play, us included. Juan [Carlos Amoros, Gotham head coach] asks me to do things no manager has asked me to do before, to be braver on the ball, which isn’t my strength, and it’s been challenging.
“It’s been a tough start, but it’s challenged me more from a defensive point of view than I ever got challenged in Europe.”
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