Gotham got off to a strong start, maintaining a majority of possession at the onset of the game. Gotham forwards Jordynn Dudley, Jaedyn Shaw, and Esther Gonz\u00e1lez provided dangerous playmaking in the final third, while the midfield shut down any ball that the Spirit received in the middle of the pitch.<\/p>\n
Gotham\u2019s pressure paid off in the 37th minute, with Gotham midfielder Jaelin Howell stealing the ball away from Hal Hershfelt and passing on to Lavelle just outside of the box.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In typical Lavelle fashion, she used a bit of magic footwork to put the ball through Spirit defender Tara Rudd\u2019s legs, then chipped the ball in an audacious shot that was absolutely out of the reach of Sandy MacIver but curved beautifully so that it made it into the far side of the net.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The goal made an already active crowd get on their feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gotham fans were teased with Sam Kerr\u2019s 2026 debut at the outset of the game, and they were rewarded in the second half. Kerr received a well-earned standing ovation<\/a> when she entered the pitch in the 64th minute. Within a minute, the NWSL leading goalscorer had already chased down the ball from the Spirit defense and took a shot from distance, forcing MacIver to make the save. She didn\u2019t score, but it didn\u2019t matter for the home crowd; witnessing Kerr back on the pitch for the NY\/NJ side for the first time in eight years<\/a> was more than enough.<\/p>\n A second half spark came from Spirit winger Claudia Mart\u00ednez, with the youngster at one point carrying the ball halfway up the pitch before passing it off. She added some speed and energy to a weary Spirit attack, and was able to combine with Trinity Rodman and Leicy Santos for some dangerous attempts at goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rodman looked dangerous all night, making penetrating runs up the left wing and thereafter putting in cross after cross into the box but narrowly missed her targets.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gotham keeper Ann-Katrin Berger shined, playing a flawless game and proving why she is one of the best goalkeepers in the world. A Spirit attack in the 93rd minute saw Berger make three saves in a row, each more impressive than the last, and earning some MVP chants from the crowd.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s clear that Berger is a favorite with Gotham fans; in the final minutes of the game, following her heroism in goal, she raised her arms to amp up the fans. They answered her call, coming alive for one of the loudest cheers of the night in an otherwise quieter half, when the lateness of the hour was getting to fans young and old.<\/p>\n Smoky air over a patchwork pitch<\/p>\n While the East Coast rivalry has increased in power in recent years, the playing conditions were the bigger talking point on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Part of the pitch overlapped with the baseball diamond, which featured a different color grass than the rest of the field. This comes after uncertainty about why the NWSL continues to use baseball stadiums for big games. However, the abnormalities in the pitch didn\u2019t seem to cause the players any harm or difficulty.\u00a0<\/p>\n While many came into the match concerned about the heat, the real concern turned out to be the air quality. Smoke from Canadian wildfires descended over the city throughout the day, accumulating to 171 AQI at kickoff and into the second half. This led the game officials to implement two water breaks a half, at fifteen minute intervals, per NWSL safety precautions.\u00a0<\/p>\n Spirit coach Adri\u00e1n Gonz\u00e1lez was not a fan of the water breaks, arguing that they disrupted the flow of the game. \u201cCan I be honest?\u201d he said after the game. \u201cI don\u2019t like them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Neither did Rodman. \u201cIf we have to have a hydration break every 15 minutes, then we shouldn\u2019t be playing the game, and that\u2019s my opinion,\u201d she said<\/a>. \u201cBut at the end of the day, there\u2019s 40,000 people. It\u2019s a whole event, so it\u2019s really tough. It\u2019s just a really hard situation for everyone to work around.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Rare Gems\u2019 is out now! If you enjoy Megdal\u2019s coverage of women\u2019s basketball every Wednesday at The IX Sports, you will love \u201cRare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.\u201d <\/p>\n However, given the risk that the air quality posed to players, fans, and staff \u2014\u00a0Rodman at one point needed an intake of oxygen<\/a> on the sideline \u2014 it is questionable<\/a> whether the match should\u2019ve occurred in the first place. Even more questionable was the continued use of fireworks throughout the breaks in the game.\u00a0<\/p>\n It didn\u2019t seem to dampen the occasion for the home side. Veteran defender Mandy Freeman valued the experience of playing at Citi Field, remarking, \u201cIt was kind of a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and not one that will be repeated. Being able to play in front of all those fans and have them really be the 12th player for us was incredible. It was a crazy environment, and we really needed that push with the elements that were against us today.\u201d<\/p>\n A new Queens home\u00a0<\/p>\n The match on Wednesday night came on the heels of Gotham FC announcing<\/a> that they would be playing at the new Etihad Park in Queens beginning in the 2028 season. The team currently plays at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey.<\/p>\n While it was a contentious decision for the club due to its longtime supporter base in New Jersey, the decision reflects the caliber of the club and their future direction.\u00a0<\/p>\n As Freeman noted prior to the match, \u201cIt\u2019s a great starting point. We want to average this amount of fans. We want to be breaking records every single time we play in New York because that\u2019s the amount of fans that we\u2019re capable of having at games. It\u2019s nice to be able to have this being the starting point and really a vibe check.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Gotham is one of the best teams in the NWSL but consistently sits in the middle of the league in terms of fan attendance, averaging 8,500 fans<\/a> per game during the last two seasons. If Wednesday is any indication, moving their homebase within the bounds of NYC may increase their match-by-match attendance significantly.<\/p>\n Looking Ahead<\/p>\n With the win, Washington and Gotham both sit at 27 points, good enough for second and fourth place, respectively, considering goal differential. Given that both the Spirit and Gotham played last weekend in addition to Wednesday, the upcoming weekend\u2019s matches will test the endurance and versatility of both sides.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Spirit continue their East Coast tour, heading to Rhode Island to face a hot Boston Legacy team that is coming off a 1-0 win over the Orlando Pride.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gotham move to their next New York City location, facing an unpredictable Seattle Reign side at Icahn Stadium on Randall\u2019s Island.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The IX Basketball and The IX Sports, wrote this deeply reported book. \u201cRare Gems\u201d follows four connected generations of women\u2019s basketball pioneers, from Elvera \u201cPeps\u201d Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.<\/p>\n
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