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The largest crowd at Citi Field this year has not been for a New York Mets game, but for Wednesday night’s record-breaking match between Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).
A total of 42,175 fans braved poor air quality in New York stemming from wildfires in Canada, the largest number ever recorded for a women’s sporting event in New York City, but the spectacle, one of the stars on the field said, should not have been played.
“If we have to take a hydration break every 15 minutes, then we shouldn’t be playing, 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 full event, so it’s really difficult. It’s just a really difficult situation for everyone.”
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Trinity Rodman of the 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,” potentially ruining Sunday’s World Cup final at nearby MetLife Stadium. Rodman said the air quality was “difficult” along with temperatures approaching triple digits.
“I don’t want to make any excuses, but I think on both sides we were all like, ‘another break, another break, another break,'” 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, the home of the New York Red Bulls of MLS, 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/Image Images)
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NYCFC has played most of its home games at Yankee Stadium, but has also begun frequenting Citi Field as it is also moving to Etihad Park.
Because of the air quality, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherill said she has “directed” NJ Transit and the New Jersey Turnpike Authority “to make select quantities of masks available to commuters and at rest areas along the Turnpike and Parkway.”
Smoke from the Canadian wildfires hangs over Times Square in New York City on Wednesday, June 7, 2023. (Julia Bonavita/Pak Gazette Digital)
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged residents to “stay in a cool place” and “drink plenty of water.”
