A sold-out crowd of 42,175 looked on as Gotham FC and Washington Spirit made history in the biggest ever women’s sporting event in New York City history at Citi Field Wednesday, July 15.

Rose Lavelle’s stunning 37th-minute chip proved the difference in a 1-0 win for Gotham in Wednesday’s Queens Classic, which was also the first professional women’s sporting event to take place at Citi Field.

The game marks Gotham’s first foray into Queens ahead of the team’s planned move to the borough in 2028, when it will take up residence in Etihad Park across the street from Citi Field.

Lavelle said playing in front of a sell-out crowd added “another special element” to the matchup with the Spirit, which was a rematch of the 2025 NWSL Championship game.

“I think for us to be able to have this moment was really huge and hopefully we can just keep building off this,” Lavelle said.

Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós, on the other hand, said the event marked an “amazing day” in the history of the club.

“It was truly special,” he said. “Gotham is growing at a level that I was dreaming of when I came here.”

NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said the Queens Classic was the “beginning of a new relationship” between Gotham and the borough. She added that it was “serendipitous” that Gotham was forced to host the game in Queens at the same time that the move to the borough was announced, with its current home venue at Sports Illustrated Stadium not in use due to the World Cup.

“It’s the perfect story for us,” Berman said. “To have a team competing in New York City proper, I think puts us on a map in a very different way.” 

She said the league decided “very early” to return to action as soon as possible during the men’s World Cup but said teams like Gotham made “lemonade out of lemons” when their home venues were not available.

“The reason tonight happened is because we were forced to be innovative and creative,” Berman said. 

She also pointed to the sell-out crowd during “one of the busiest weeks in sports” as a sign of the growth of women’s soccer and the NWSL.

Council Member Tiffany Cabán, meanwhile, said the historic Queens Classic and the forthcoming move to Queens is the “convergence of a lot of beautiful things.”

“We’re talking about the world’s game in the world’s borough at a moment when women’s sports are exploding,” Cabán said. “It’s not just on the pitch or on the court. It’s also off the field too. We’re seeing these very visible fights around gender pay equity, professional soccer players have been at the forefront of this.” 

Cabán also believes that the presence of a women’s team in Queens will serve as inspiration for countless young girls growing up in the borough.

“You have to see it to believe that it’s possible for your sport,” Cabán said. “Even when I was growing up, a lot of the schools that I went to didn’t have the green space to play a lot of these sports, like soccer and lacrosse.

“These sports were considered Long Island sports, and so to see them coming into our city and having them be more accessible is a beautiful thing… there’s no game more accessible than soccer.” 

If soccer is to thrive, however, Cabán believes that there should be less financial barriers for budding players.

“Everything is about access and accessibility,” Cabán said. “Just having those opportunities can be absolutely life-changing.”

Berman, meanwhile, believes more events in Citi Field are possible before Gotham makes the permanent switch from New Jersey to Queens in two years.

“I think based on the success of this game tonight, we we’d be foolish to not consider it because it’s clear that there’s an appetite and and a market for it here.”