Arya News - Gotham was reportedly fined $10,000 by the league for the field`s conditions during last week`s regular-season finale — with the team set to host again in the semifinals next week.
Gotham FC"s NWSL quarterfinal win over the Seattle Reign was colored by glaring issues with the field quality — with the team set to host next week"s semifinal on the same surface.
Throughout Gotham"s 1-0 win on Sunday , there were clear issues with the pitch at Sports Illustrated Stadium, where Gotham has played since 2020. Large sections of grass were worn out, with sand visible in the corners and in front of the goals.
After the loss, Reign head coach Laura Harvey did not hold back when speaking about the field quality on the broadcast. Harvey said that the league had fined Gotham $10,000 for the field"s poor quality during the team"s regular-season finale last week , with multiple outlets later confirming the fine.
"Let"s be real, there"s no way a playoff game should be played on that s***," Harvey said. "I just can"t believe they"ve allowed it. They knew it last week."
Postgame, Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said in a press conference that the team did its best to get the field to improve the pitch quality, but that it had fallen short of acceptable expectations.
"I feel the obligation to almost apologize for the state of the pitch. I think at this level, in this kind of game, as a league we should be having a better surface," Amorós said. "(Gotham) did absolutely everything in their power to make sure that that was the case. Unfortuantely, it wasn"t. But luckily it looks like nobody got hurt."
Reign goalkeeper Claudia Dickey makes a save during the match, on a visibly degraded field in Sports Illustrated Stadium. (Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images)
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect / REUTERS)
Players from both teams also expressed their dissatisfaction with the pitch quality. Gotham defender Jess Carter said postgame the field "was so bad," while Reign midfielder Jess Fishlock called the pitch "atrocious," via ESPN .
"It"s pretty sandy out there and a little unstable," Gotham midfielder Jaelin Howell said, via ESPN. "I want to be able to give my all to the team, and everything I"ve got, so obviously, you can"t think about that. The other team has to play on that, too."
Gotham, like many NWSL teams, is a tenant in the stadium and does not control operations in its home venue; that duty goes to MLS team New York Red Bulls. Sports Illustrated Stadium hosted a Red Bulls game on Saturday and a rugby match last week, which only degraded the pitch quality after last weekend"s fine.
Gotham, as the No. 1 overall seed, will host a semifinal at Sports Illustrated Stadium next weekend, meaning another high-stakes game played on the poor pitch. The Red Bulls, who failed to make the MLS playoffs, will be playing a friend against Club América the day before.
Gotham announced this summer that it will be moving to the new Etihad Park in Queens in 2028; the stadium, which is set to open next year, will be owned and operated by New York City FC.
NWSL pitch quality has come up as an issue in the past, particularly with shared venues like San Diego Wave"s Snapdragon Stadium. The field quality at Snapdragon was heavily criticized ahead of the 2023 NWSL Final, with retiring Reign star Megan Rapinoe suffering an Achilles injury during the match in what was her final professional game. In 2024, the Wave relocated its final game of the season due to the degraded field.
On Sunday, Gotham ended up with the win after forcing an early Reign own goal, managing to get the win without a single shot on target.
"Obviously, it was not the best football match you will ever see, that"s for sure. It"s not the best football match that we"ve ever played, that"s for sure. But we found a way to win," Amorós said postgame.
Gotham will host the No. 4-seeded Kansas City Current in the semis, on the way to defending their 2025 NWSL championship.