Ten years ago, a National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) game at a baseball stadium highlighted the challenges the league faced. A match during the 2016 season was played at a minor-league ballpark on a woefully small pitch, which was described as “shocking and embarrassing” by league players.

Fast forward to 2026, and NWSL games at ballparks are now prominent events. Record-breaking attendance occurred at Chicago’s Wrigley Field and San Francisco’s Oracle Park over the past two seasons. On Wednesday night, Gotham FC’s 1-0 victory over the Washington Spirit at Citi Field, the home of Major League Baseball’s New York Mets, attracted the second-largest audience in league history (42,175) and set a record for the most attended women’s sporting event in New York City.

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Following a month-long break for the men’s World Cup, the NWSL resumed on July 3. This match served as a significant gauge for the remainder of the season. While San Diego continues to lead the league, Gotham’s recent win allowed them to catch up on points with the Spirit and the Portland Thorns. The Spirit currently hold the second spot due to goal differential. The two East Coast rivals met in last year’s final, with the teams accumulating two championships (Gotham), two second-place finishes (Spirit), and three other trophies over the past three years.

Meanwhile, the match, referred to as the Queens Classic, embodied the essence of the NWSL in its 14-season journey: high stakes, star athletes, impressive ambitions, and ongoing controversies.

Gotham midfielder Rose Lavelle, who scored the winning goal in last year’s final, netted a brilliant curler in the 37th minute for the lone goal of the match. Although the crowd mostly supported the home team, fans wearing the No 2 jersey of Spirit forward Trinity Rodman were also present, though Rodman was unable to convert any of her five shots. The loudest cheer came in the 63rd minute, when Australian striker Sam Kerr made her debut for Gotham after six-and-a-half years at Chelsea, marking a homecoming as she previously starred for the club when it was known as Sky Blue, becoming the all-time leading scorer in the NWSL.

Related: What does Sam Kerr’s return to the NWSL mean for the league, Gotham FC and the player herself?

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“I feel so spoiled to play at this club because we keep bringing in incredible players,” said Lavelle, referencing recent transfers including Kerr, Irish captain Denise O’Sullivan, and Norwegian midfielder Guro Reiten. “I went up to her during a corner and said, ‘Welcome back, but chill,'” Rodman joked about Kerr’s return.

When Kerr departed Sky Blue in 2018, the spotlight fell on the team’s poor performance, training grounds lacking running water and limited resources. The current state of the club seems worlds apart, with improved finishes, new branding, and leadership. Recently, Gotham announced plans to relocate to New York in 2028 to the upcoming Etihad Park. The buildup to this match featured subway ads, promotions, and a $15 ticket initiative organized by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, with 70% of attendees being “new fans.”

“It was really special just to see how many people were there that that was their first Gotham game,” midfielder Jaedyn Shaw said.

It felt fitting that the opponent was Washington, another team that has built its ambition in a league that does not always reward such efforts.

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“In many ways, this is like a full-circle moment,” commissioner Jessica Berman stated during halftime. “We know that with investment, if you build it they will come, and this is a proof point for that.”

The NWSL’s recent growth has been significant, as the past 12 months have set new attendance, TV viewership, and expansion fee records. However, this progress does not come without challenges.

Nearly ten years after the minor pitch issue, both teams acknowledged that while the field at Citi Field was functional, it wasn’t in prime condition. (“That’s showbiz, baby,” Lavelle remarked.) The match aired live on ESPN, but unfortunately, the only goal coincided with a split-screen interview, creating awkward moments for commentators.

The weather conditions on Wednesday were less than ideal for soccer, with a heatwave pushing temperatures into the 80s and 90s Fahrenheit and raising the heat index above 100. An air quality alert affected much of New York due to smoke from Canadian wildfires drifting south, casting the ballpark in a haze as the sun set before kickoff, with the smell of smoke permeating the air throughout the match.

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Related: ‘It leaves a bad taste in my mouth’: Columbus embraces NWSL while questioning the cost

While the league has postponed games due to poor air quality, criticism has been aimed at the league for continuing high-profile games despite adverse conditions. A notable incident took place last year when a televised match between the Orlando Pride and Kansas City Current proceeded despite extreme heat leading to hospitalizations of several fans.

In this instance, conditions fell short of the threshold for a delay or postponement. With the air quality index over 150—considered “unhealthy” by the Environmental Protection Agency—but lower than the threshold to delay or postpone, the league implemented two hydration breaks per half. Spirit coach Adrián González expressed his disappointment about the breaks, stating that they disrupted game flow while acknowledging their necessity given the circumstances.

“I think on both sides, we were just like, ‘Damn, another break, another break, another break,'” Rodman noted. “If we have to have a hydration break every 15 minutes, then we shouldn’t be playing the game, and that’s my opinion. … But at the end of the day, there’s 40,000 people; it’s a whole event. So it is really tough. I think it was a really hard situation for everybody to work around.”

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Ultimately, Wednesday night will be remembered as a success. This scene would have seemed unimaginable years ago; the Citi Field crowd’s attendance was more than double the total attendance for all 12 home matches during the club’s inaugural season in 2013. Yet, acknowledging the dual reality—how far the league has come and the distance still to cover—is crucial to understanding this pivotal moment.

“It’s pretty cool when you’re out there and you realize that this is your job,” veteran Spirit midfielder Andi Sullivan said, “and that this is what your dreams looked like, or maybe what they haven’t looked like along the way.”