Gotham FC earns the victory over the Washington Spirit in the Queens Classic | OneFootball

NJ/NY Gotham FC earned their second win in a row and third in four games in all competitions thanks to a 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit in the Queens Classic. This win moves them into a three-way tie for second in the table on points with Washington and Portland Thorns FC. Unfortunately, both teams hold the tiebreakers over the Bats, so the team stays in fourth place.

Getting three points tonight was the real icing on the cake for Gotham FC. It was a momentous night for the club. The second-largest crowd in league history saw a victory and the club's first game in Queens before a permanent move to Etihad Park in 2028. This combined with continuing the momentum gained from last weekend's win over Utah Royals FC on the road.

The Bats also forced the Spirit's third loss of the season in a game where they had a chance to move to the top of the table. They still have a fixture in hand on the top of the table, San Diego Wave FC. Plus, the team is just one point behind, so the opportunity to jump to the top with a win and a stumble from San Diego is still there, but it did not fall their way tonight.

This is now the fifth game in a row in which Washington has not only failed to beat Gotham but also failed to score against them. Seemingly having the number of a very good team that it's very likely will be seen again in the playoffs is a good thing to have at the back of their minds in the event these two meet in the playoffs for the third year in a row.

A Classic in Queens for Gotham FC

The opening of the first half was all Gotham FC, with the majority of the play taking place in Washington's defensive third. One of the major storylines of the first half was that Jordynn Dudley was forced off early with a potential injury. First, she suffered a head-to-head collision with Esme Morgan. Then, a few minutes later, she was fouled and may have hit her head on the ground. She was taken off after just 34 minutes and replaced by Jess Carter.

Another big talking point from this game was the weather. Due to the poor air quality from the Canadian wildfires, the league required two hydration breaks per half, not per game, as fans have seen at this summer's Men's World Cup. It felt like this, combined with the smaller-than-usual field dimensions, contributed to a game that at times resembled a basketball game, with how back-and-forth things were.

That did not stop the NJ/NY side from scoring. In the 37th minute, Gotham opened the scoring thanks to a fantastic goal from Rose Lavelle. First, she nutmegged Tara Rudd on the top of the box before getting off a fadeaway chip shot that beat goalkeeper Sandy MacIver.

Meanwhile, in the 64th minute, Sam Kerr made her debut as a Gotham FC player, replacing Sarah Schupansky, and received a loud ovation from the sellout crowd of 42,175. And within a minute or two nearly scored as she tried to get on the end of a through ball, but just could not quite catch up to it.

The game ended 1-0 to Gotham after what was a largely uneventful second half. The biggest moment came in stoppage time when Ann-Katrin Berger made a big double save on Claudia Martínez and Gift Monday, before then making a follow-up save on a long-range blast from Leicy Santos.

General play in this game was not great. As mentioned earlier, the weather and field conditions certainly did nobody any favors. There were multiple times where the light patch of grass over what is normally the left side of the baseball infield either caught out players or caused them to stumble. Combined with the smaller-than-normal playing surface, it made for a slightly unconventional game compared to what both of these teams are used to.

The hope is that the win will not only help attendance when the club moves to Queens in 2028, but also over the next 18 months while still playing in New Jersey. It's not 100% clear exactly what impact a game like this will have, and there most likely won't be a concrete answer until close to the end of the regular season. But if even 10% of the people who attended this game show up and add to the current attendance numbers, that will be a big deal for Gotham FC moving forward.