Gotham FC relocates NWSL semifinal to smaller venue, citing 'concerns about the quality of the playing surface' at Sports Illustrated Stadium

After concerns about pitch quality, Gotham FC will officially continue its NWSL title defense at a difficult stadium. The NWSL announced Monday that Gotham will host the Kansas City Current for a semifinal at Icahn Stadium, a 5,000-seat venue, with kickoff at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday. In a Gotham release, the team said that the decision was made "amid concerns about the quality of the playing surface” at the club’s home field, Sports Illustrated Stadium. Gotham, as the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs, was guaranteed to host the semifinal after defeating the Seattle Reign in the quarterfinals on Sunday. Gotham governor Carolyn Tisch Blodgett and president of soccer operations Yael Averbuch West used the release as a chance to speak to fans, calling it “an extremely difficult decision” and expressing their disappointment about the move. "For the first time in club history, our players have earned the right to host a semifinal match at home, and our fans have earned the opportunity to be part of that historic moment," Blodgett said. "Unfortunately, given the field conditions, we have made the extremely difficult decision to relocate our semifinal game to Icahn Stadium. "We exhausted every possible avenue before making this decision, and we are deeply disappointed that so many of our fans will now be unable to experience this moment alongside our team. Our players deserve a playing surface that meets the standards of a professional semifinal, and our fans deserve the opportunity to support them. We have worked tirelessly to deliver on both and are disappointed that we cannot." "At the end of the day, the game is played on the field. Our responsibility is to provide our players with the best possible conditions to compete, and ultimately, we felt we had to prioritize the playing surface," Averbuch West said in the statement. The No. 3-seeded Washington Spirit, which will be hosting the No. 7 Utah Royals in the other semifinal, will be holding their game at their home venue, Audi Field, on Saturday. Stadium conflicts initially raised concerns that the Spirit would have to host a game at the Washington Commanders’ Northwest Field due to a Division III football game at Audi, but the game has reportedly been moved, per ESPN’s Jeff Kassouf . After Sunday’s quarterfinal, players and coaches from both teams were vocal about the “atrocious” pitch , with Gotham head coach Juan Carlos Amorós saying he felt “the obligation to almost apologize for the state of the pitch.” Reign head coach Laura Harvey revealed that Gotham had been fined $10,000 by the league for the field quality during their regular-season finale; a Gotham spokesperson later confirmed the fine with multiple outlets. New York Red Bulls, which operates Sports Illustrated Stadium and is its primary tenant, is set to host a friendly against Club América on Saturday. That game, along with bumping Gotham to a Sunday match, also raised concerns about field growing even more degraded. The Red Bulls did not acknowledge the field quality in a statement shared with multiple outlets. "We wish Gotham FC the best of luck in their semifinal at Icahn Stadium. We look forward to our match on Saturday at Sports Illustrated Stadium," the statement said, via CBS Sports' Pardeep Cattry . The stadium move will relocate the Gotham-Current game to Icahn Stadium, a New York City-owned venue on Randalls Island. Gotham played one regular-season game at the stadium earlier this year due to scheduling conflicts in Sports Illustrated Stadium; notably, the field at Icahn Stadium is turf, rather than grass. The situation is reminiscent of the stadium drama during the WNBA Finals , with the Atlanta Dream having to settle for a Thursday afternoon game in order to obtain a larger venue. Due to the field quality, though, Gotham opted for the reverse. Gotham FC played one regular-season game at Icahn Stadium this year due to scheduling conflicts. (Photo by Caean Couto/NWSL via Getty Images) Caean Couto via Getty Images Both pitch quality and shared venues have been issues that have plagued the NWSL for years, especially in stadiums that are used by several other tenants. Sports Illustrated Stadium joins venues like Snapdragon Stadium, home of the San Diego Wave, which has been under scrutiny for years : With the stadium owned and used by San Diego State University while hosting the Wave, MLS’ San Diego FC and others, pitch conditions have often visibly worsened by the fall. Gotham announced this summer that it will be moving to New York City FC’s new stadium Etihad Park in Queens. The stadium is set to open next year; Gotham plans to begin playing there in 2028.