Gotham FC Banks Its 100th Win Before a Record Queens Night

Gotham FC beat Utah Royals FC 3-1 on the road Friday night for the 100th regular-season win in club history. The victory landed three days before the club’s biggest home night yet, a near sellout at Citi Field that doubles as a rehearsal for 2028.

Nearly 38,000 tickets are already gone for Wednesday’s Queens Classic against the Washington Spirit, a rematch of last year’s National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Championship. Gotham FC is moving into a stadium built for somebody else’s team, and this week is the first real test of whether that bet pays off.

Gotham’s 100th Win Comes Right on Schedule

Esther González, a Spanish forward, scored twice at America First Field in Sandy, Utah, and defender Tierna Davidson added a second-half goal as the 100th regular-season win in club history moved Gotham to fourth place, level on points with Utah at 24 despite an extra loss on its record.

González’s second goal tied her with Sam Kerr for the most career goals in club history, and gave her six regular-season goals against Utah alone, more than any other player has scored against the Royals.

The result came after Gotham’s six-match unbeaten run was snapped by a 2-0 loss at San Diego Wave FC on July 4, its first match back from the league’s monthlong break.

“We dominated. We had the best chances that came out of our own work.”

Gotham FC head coach Juan Carlos Amorós said afterward, calling the milestone win “really another landmark” for a club that had just spent more than a week on the road.

Friday also extended a pattern that has defined this series since Utah Royals FC returned to the NWSL in 2024: the Royals still have not beaten Gotham, stretching their winless run to five straight meetings, four wins and one draw for the visitors.

The $780 Million Bet on Queens

Gotham FC and New York City FC, the Major League Soccer (MLS) club that controls the building, confirmed last Tuesday that Gotham will shift its home games to Etihad Park in Willets Point, Queens, starting in 2028. The stadium opens a year earlier, in spring 2027, for NYCFC, and carries a reported price tag of $780 million, according to The Athletic.

Gotham’s initial lease runs five years, with options that could stretch it to 15, a club spokesperson told ESPN. The arrangement also lets Gotham “flip” the stadium’s mostly digital signage on matchdays so the building feels like its own rather than a borrowed one.

Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, Gotham’s governor and lead owner, said the move reflects a club where “our ambition has been bigger than championships,” pointing to two league titles in the past three seasons.

What Willets Point Actually Buys

The site sits a stadium steps from Mets-Willets Point station, across the street from Citi Field and a short walk from Arthur Ashe Stadium and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. It will be the country’s first all-electric outdoor sports venue, built entirely by union labor and funded by City Football Group, NYCFC’s parent company.

• The Cube – a seven-story LED gateway greeting fans at the main entrance
• Supporters Porch – a 9,000-plus square foot outdoor gathering space with its own tap bar
• Five Boroughs Food Hall – vendors representing small businesses from each of the city’s boroughs

Fans can already put down $28 deposits for 2028 season tickets, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said matchday tickets will start at $24 once the doors open.

Wednesday’s Sellout Raises the Stakes

NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman said she hopes Wednesday’s crowd serves as “a proof of concept” for what a club playing inside New York City proper can draw. Attendance for the Queens Classic is projected to top 40,000, which would set a record for a women’s professional sporting event in New York City.

That would dwarf anything Gotham has drawn at Sports Illustrated Stadium, where the club averaged just under 9,000 fans last year, middling by NWSL standards. Berman called the relocation “a definite win” for a league entering its next media rights negotiation, and added that Etihad Park could someday host an NWSL Championship game.

Wednesday’s match will not be Gotham’s only crowded week. The club still plays three more road matches in July, including Portland and Bay FC, sandwiched around home dates against Washington and Seattle Reign FC.

New Jersey Isn’t Applauding Yet

Gotham FC began in 2006 across the Hudson as Jersey Sky Blue, co-founded in part by future New Jersey governor Phil Murphy and his wife, Tammy Murphy. The club became Sky Blue FC in 2008, then NJ/NY Gotham FC in 2021, the same year it left Rutgers University for Harrison.

That history is what makes the move sting for some fans. Women’s soccer reporter Jeff Kassouf wrote on X that the relocation is inevitably polarizing for Bats fans, noting that New Jersey supporters feel left behind while the move plays far better across the river.

Gotham dropped “NJ” from its branding altogether this season, and its third kit now leans on the orange and blue of New York City’s flag, along with an image of the Statue of Liberty.

Has Utah Solved Gotham Yet?

No. Utah Royals FC has not beaten Gotham FC since the franchise returned to the NWSL in 2024, managing only draws across their history. Friday’s loss extended Gotham’s unbeaten run in the series to five straight meetings.

The closest Utah has come was a scoreless draw at Sports Illustrated Stadium on August 23, 2025, which snapped an 11-game winless run and delivered the Royals their first-ever point against Gotham. Before that, Gotham won 3-0 in Utah in July 2025 and 4-1 in November 2024.

Utah had climbed as high as second place this season before back-to-back losses, first at Chicago and now at home, dropped the Royals to fifth, still level on points with Gotham. Utah hosts a packed crowd of 10,014 fans again on July 18 against Orlando Pride, hoping to end the skid.

The two sides are already booked for a Decision Day finale against Utah on November 1, the last scheduled day of the regular season, at Sports Illustrated Stadium, the building Gotham will leave behind once Queens takes over.

Frequently Asked Questions

When Will Gotham FC Play Its First Game at Etihad Park?

Gotham FC is scheduled to begin playing home matches at Etihad Park in 2028, a year after New York City FC opens the stadium in spring 2027. Gotham’s lease runs an initial five years, with options that could stretch it to 15.

How Big Is Etihad Park and Who Is Paying for It?

Etihad Park will seat 25,000 fans and is being built entirely with private funding from City Football Group, NYCFC’s ownership group, making it the country’s first all-electric outdoor sports venue and the first stadium in New York City built specifically for soccer.

Will Gotham FC Still Train in New Jersey?

Yes. Gotham FC is building its first dedicated training facility in Whippany, New Jersey, so the club’s day-to-day operations stay in the state even after its games move across the Hudson to Queens.

How Much Will Tickets Cost at Etihad Park?

Season ticket deposits are $28 for the 2028 opening season, and matchday tickets are expected to start at $24. That compares with the $16-per-match starting price of Gotham’s current Blueprint memberships at Sports Illustrated Stadium.