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The biggest crowd at Citi Field this year hasn’t been for a New York Mets game, but instead for Wednesday night’s record-setting contest between Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
A total of 42,175 fans braved the poor air quality in New York as a result of wildfires in Canada, the largest ever for a women’s sporting event in New York City, but the performance, one of the stars on the court said, should not have been played.
“If we’re going to have a hydration break every 15 minutes, then we shouldn’t be playing the game, and that’s my opinion,” Washington’s Trinity Rodman said, via The Athletic . “But at the end of the day, there are 40,000 people. It’s a whole event, so it’s really tough. It’s just a really tough situation for everybody to work around.”
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Trinity Rodman of Washington Spirit controls the ball against Midge Purce of NJ/NY Gotham FC during an NWSL match at Citi Field in New York on July 15, 2026. (Dustin Satloff/NWSL via Getty Images)
Air quality in the tri-state area has been deemed “unhealthy,” perhaps adding a wrinkle to Sunday’s World Cup final at nearby MetLife Stadium. Rodman said air quality was “rough” with temperatures approaching triple digits.
“Not to make excuses at all, but I think on both sides we were all like ‘another halftime, another halftime, another halftime,'” said Rodman, whose team lost 1-0.
Earlier this month, Gotham announced that the club would begin playing at the new Etihad Park, adjacent to Citi Field, starting in 2028. They currently play at Sports Illustrated Stadium, home of MLS’s New York Red Bulls, in New Jersey.
A general view of Citi Field before the Queens Classic match between the Washington Spirit and Gotham FC in New York. (Brenden Willsch/Imagn Images)
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NYCFC has played most of its home games at Yankee Stadium, but has also begun to frequent Citi Field as it will also move to Etihad Park.
Because of the air quality, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherill said she “directed” NJ Transit and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority “to make select amounts of masks available to commuters and at rest areas along the Turnpike and Parkway.”
Smoke from Canadian wildfires rises above New York City’s Times Square on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. (Julia Bonavita/Pakinomist Digital)
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents to “stay cool” and “drink plenty of water.”
