NWSL teams keep running into stadium problems in the playoffs because most of them don't control the stadiums they play in. Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit both rent from MLS teams, so when a Red Bulls friendly or a college football game is already on the calendar, the women's team works around it. This week that meant the defending champion moving a semifinal from a 25,000-seat stadium to a 5,000-seat one.
The NWSL's two semifinals are this weekend. Both had to be rescued. That's not a coincidence. It's what happens when the league's best teams are tenants.
Why Gotham FC moved its NWSL semifinal to 5,000-seat Icahn Stadium
Gotham, the top seed and defending NWSL champion, plays at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, which it leases from the owners of the New York Red Bulls. The Red Bulls played an MLS home match the night before Gotham's quarterfinal against Seattle Reign on November 8. Gotham won 1-0 on a field full of brown spots and divots.
Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós said he felt "the obligation to almost apologize for the state of the pitch." Reign coach Laura Harvey called it the worst field she's played on in the league. The NWSL had already fined Gotham $10,000 for the field's condition at its November 1 regular-season finale, according to The Athletic. Under league rules, the home team gets fined even when someone else controls the venue.
The Red Bulls also have a friendly against Club América at the stadium on Saturday, November 14. So Gotham announced it will host the Kansas City Current on Sunday at Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island, a city-owned venue with 5,000 seats. The game is at 3 p.m. Eastern on ABC.
That's a lot of tickets gone. Gotham is releasing seats in phases with season-ticket holders first, and existing ticket holders get a partial refund for the price difference.
How a college football game nearly pushed the Washington Spirit out of Audi Field
The Spirit had a different problem. Audi Field, which is owned by D.C. United, was already booked Saturday for the Secretaries' Cup, the annual football game between the Coast Guard Academy and the Merchant Marine Academy.
Before the quarterfinals ended, the most likely home for a Spirit semifinal was Northwest Stadium, the Commanders' stadium in Landover, Maryland, according to The Athletic. That would have meant a big NFL stadium and a long trip for fans of a team that averaged 16,260 at Audi Field this season.
The fix came from a sponsor. Lafayette Federal Credit Union, which sponsors both the Spirit and D.C. United, offered to cover a cost The Athletic described as "low six figures." Now it's a doubleheader. The Spirit host the Utah Royals at noon Eastern on CBS, then clear the field for the football game.
The NWSL Championship on November 21 is also at Audi Field.
The Atlanta Dream's 12:30 p.m. WNBA Finals game was the same problem
This isn't just a soccer issue. Less than two weeks ago, Game 6 of the WNBA Finals between the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries tipped off at 12:30 p.m. on a Thursday. The Hawks had an NBA game that night at State Farm Arena, and the Dream's regular home, Gateway Center Arena, holds about 3,500 people, according to the AP.
The game still sold out. But the Dream's owners wrote an open letter saying they raised the conflict with the league months earlier and their concerns "did not receive the attention, nor the urgency that they deserved."
Same story, different sport. A women's team reaches the biggest game of the year and finds out it's second in line at someone else's building.
Who pays when NWSL teams don't own their stadiums?
The teams pay first. Gotham loses roughly 20,000 seats of ticket revenue for a home semifinal, plus concessions and merchandise. It also took a $10,000 fine for a field it doesn't maintain.
Fans pay too. Thousands of Gotham season-ticket holders and regulars won't get into Icahn. Spirit fans almost had to drive to Maryland.
Players pay with their bodies. A bad pitch in a playoff game is an injury risk, and they shouldn't have to complain publicly to get it fixed.
The league and its TV partners pay in perception. CBS and ABC are putting these games in national windows, and the NWSL's media deals are worth $240 million over four years, according to the league. A semifinal in a 5,000-seat track stadium doesn't look like a league whose teams are now valued at more than $200 million, as The Athletic reported.
Why owning a stadium is the NWSL's real fix
The answer isn't complicated. Control the building, control the calendar.
The Kansas City Current, Gotham's opponent on Sunday, already show what that looks like. They play at CPKC Stadium, built specifically for their team, and they don't have to ask anyone for a date. Gotham will move to Etihad Park in Queens in 2028. It's NYCFC's new stadium, so Gotham will still be a tenant. I'd hope it uses the move to get playoff dates and field standards written into the lease from day one.
Until more teams own their stadiums or sign leases that protect playoff dates and field quality, this keeps happening. I don't blame Gotham for picking a better surface over a bigger crowd. That was the right call for the players. But the defending champion shouldn't have to choose between them.
