Gotham FC Hosts Washington Spirit in The Queens Classic at Citi Field

QUEENS, N.Y. (July 14, 2026) - Gotham FC returns to action Wednesday night for one of the most anticipated matches in club history, hosting the Washington Spirit in The Queens Classic, presented by CarMax, at Citi Field in a rematch of the 2025 NWSL Championship.

Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET, with national broadcast coverage on ESPN.

Wednesday's match is expected to become the largest women's sporting event in New York City history and marks Gotham FC's first NWSL regular season match played within New York City.

Gotham FC (7-3-3, 24 points) enters the match after earning a 3-1 road victory over the Utah Royals on Friday night behind a brace from Esther González and Tierna Davidson's second goal of the season. The victory was the club's 100th regular season win and lifted Gotham into fourth place in the NWSL standings. Gotham has won six of its last eight league matches (6-1-1) and continues to build momentum entering one of the marquee fixtures of the regular season.

The Washington Spirit (8-2-3, 27 points) arrives in Queens as one of the league's hottest teams, having won three consecutive matches and eight of its last nine after defeating the North Carolina Courage 2-0 on Saturday. Leicy Santos and Trinity Rodman each scored in the victory while goalkeeper Sandy MacIver recorded her seventh clean sheet of the season.

Wednesday marks the first meeting between Gotham FC and the Spirit since the 2025 NWSL Championship, when Gotham captured its second league title in three seasons with a 1-0 victory behind Rose Lavelle's dramatic 80th-minute winner. Washington holds a slight edge in the all-time series, leading 17-15-12 across all competitions.

Following Wednesday's match, Gotham FC remains in New York City to host Seattle Reign FC on Saturday, July 18, at Icahn Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET, with national broadcast coverage on ABC.

Key Points:

• Wednesday marks the 45th all-time meeting between Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit across all competitions, tying Seattle Reign FC vs. Portland Thorns FC as the most-played fixture in NWSL history.
• Gotham FC went unbeaten against the Spirit in four meetings across all competitions in 2025 (2W-2D), including a 1-0 victory in the 2025 NWSL Championship.
• Gotham FC has kept a clean sheet in each of its last four matches against Washington in all competitions. No team has ever recorded five consecutive clean sheets against the Spirit.
• Gotham FC has lost just one of its last 14 home matches across all competitions (6-1-7), conceding only seven goals while recording nine clean sheets during that span.
• Esther González recorded her eighth career NWSL regular season brace in Friday's 3-1 win over Utah. Two of those eight braces have come against Washington – at home in 2023 and on the road in 2025.
• González is one of only four players in NWSL history to record multiple regular season braces against the Spirit, joining Jess McDonald (3), Marta (2) and Alex Morgan (2).
• Wednesday's match will be played at the 10th different venue in the all-time series between Gotham FC and Washington and the fifth different venue in the clubs' last five meetings.