Former Chelsea striker Sam Kerr launched her second stint with Gotham FC in front of a record New York City crowd for a women’s sporting event.
A sellout 42,715 fans packed Citi Field—home of MLB’s New York Mets—to watch Gotham beat the Washington Spirit 1-0 in the NWSL. Kerr entered as a second-half substitute; she previously played for the club from 2015 to 2017, when it was known as Sky Blue FC.
NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman called it a full-circle moment for Kerr on her return debut. American midfielder Rose Lavelle scored the first-half winner.
Gotham’s previous attendance high was 15,560 earlier in 2024. The league’s single-game record remains 63,000, set last March when the Denver Summit faced the Spirit at Empower Field, home of the NFL’s Denver Broncos.
The club recently announced a move from Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey to Etihad Park in Queens, where it will share a venue with MLS side New York City FC—an effort to make matches more accessible to fans.