Run the bases: Gotham FC will play at Citi Field in July, and it is wonderful | OneFootball

Entering the NWSL season, there was a major question mark in the schedule: one of the regular-season matches did not have a location. NJ/NY Gotham FC is scheduled to play the Washington Spirit on Wednesday, July 15, and the match will not be at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Instead, the club said the location would be named later; now it is known.

On Tuesday, Gotham FC announced that the July 15 game will take place in Queens at Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets and one of the homes of New York City FC. They are calling it the Queens Classic, in which the Bats and the Spirit will face off in a NWSL Championship rematch.

It is great that Gotham FC will be at Citi Field

This will be a historic match since this will be the first women's sporting event at Citi Field. Moreover, Gotham will experience what it is like to play in a baseball stadium, as NYCFC has done for over a decade.

Per the club, "Citi Field, also a home to MLS club New York City FC, makes for the perfect venue for a global showcase, bringing accessible, world class women’s soccer to the world’s borough." To make things better, the Bats "will earmark a meaningful combination of discounted and free tickets to this landmark event for community nonprofits and fans from underrepresented populations."

Moreover, this gives fans who are closer to Queens, especially those on Long Island and in Connecticut, an opportunity to go to a closer match. And, for NYCFC fans who are Gotham fans, they can attend the game and be happy they are not at their rival's stadium.

Playing at Citi Field will be a unique experience for the Bats, and it is a wonderful thing. After all, the team will play the Spirit, which already makes this a bigger match within the regular season. It would have been awful if the fixture had been well out of the way or in a smaller stadium. That is why it was thought that the team should look into playing at one of the local ballparks, especially Citi Field.

It is also unknown why the match and the weekend game, which will be at Randalls Island, will not be in New Jersey. It might have something to do with the World Cup, with the finals on July 19, but the club did not express why.

Hopefully, Gotham FC will have some sort of baseball theming during the game. Yes, this is the Queens Classic, and it appears the focus will be on the match itself and the celebration of the women's game. Still, baseball can be included.