(Photo credit: Reuters/Peter Cziborra)

Sam Kerr is returning to the NWSL and to her former club.

League champions Gotham FC announced Monday that they signed the forward through the 2030 season. Kerr, 32, was a free agent after her contract with English stalwart Chelsea expired.

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.

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 Chicago in 2019. She joined Chelsea in the Women's Super League in late 2019.

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.

'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,' Gotham FC general manager Yael Averbuch West said in a statement.

'Her winning mentality, relentless competitiveness and ability to decide matches in an instant make her one of the most impactful players in the game. Bringing Sam back to Gotham is a landmark moment for our club, and we couldn't be more excited.'

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.

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.

'I'm incredibly excited to return to Gotham FC and to this city,' Kerr said in a statement. 'This club was an important part of my journey, and to come back at this moment, with everything Gotham has built, is really special. The ambition here is clear, and I'm looking forward to helping this team compete for trophies and create more history.'

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 $1 million above the salary cap. Kerr misses the criteria for the rule, mostly due to missing 20 months of play after tearing her ACL in January 2024.

Kerr's return to the States follows her marriage to midfielder Kristie Mewis. The couple recently had a child together.

--Field Level Media