Poor field conditions force Gotham FC to move NWSL semifinal to 5,000-seat stadium
· Yahoo Sports
Gotham FC's NWSL semifinal against the Kansas City Current has been moved to Icahn Stadium due to poor field conditions at Sports Illustrated Stadium, its normal home venue.
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The NWSL announced the change on Monday, Nov. 9, one day after Gotham FC beat the Seattle Reign 1-0 at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
The semifinal on Sunday, Nov. 15 will now take place at the 5,000-seat venue on Randall's Island in Manhattan rather than the 25,000-seat stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, a decision that Gotham admitted was not ideal.
“Unfortunately, given the field conditions, we have made the extremely difficult decision to relocate our semifinal game to Icahn Stadium," Gotham FC owner Carolyn Tisch Blodgett said in a club statement.
"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."
Gotham FC captain Tierna Davidson added: “We as a team worked extremely hard to earn a home playoff berth. What we got was a field that is not the standard this club, this league or our fans deserve.
"The quality of the game is not up for debate, so we’ve made the difficult decision to move to Icahn Stadium on Sunday. A smaller stadium means many of you will not be there, and that is the hardest part of this decision."
Why is Gotham FC's NWSL semifinal being moved?
Both Gotham FC and Seattle complained about the state of the pitch after Sunday's game.
"Let's be real, there's no way a playoff game should be played on that (expletive)," Seattle head coach Laura Harvey told ESPN after the loss. "I just can't believe they've allowed it. They knew it last week."
The field was torn up in part due to an international rugby doubleheader held at Sports Illustrated Stadium on Oct. 30. The New York Red Bulls had also played their MLS finale on the field on Saturday, Nov. 7.
"I feel the obligation to almost apologize for the state of the pitch," Gotham coach Juan Carlos Amorós said in his post-game press conference. "I think at this level, in this kind of game, as a league, we should be having a better surface."
ESPN reported that the NWSL fined Gotham FC $10,000 for the state of the pitch at their home game on Sunday, Nov. 1.
The winner of the Gotham-Kansas City match will face the winner of the Washington Spirit game against the Utah Royals in the NWSL Championship, which is set for Audi Field on Nov. 21.
The Spirit overcame stadium issues of a different kind to host their semifinal against Utah.
Washington was expected to move the match to Northwest Stadium, home of the NFL's Washington Commanders, due to a scheduling conflict, but announced on Sunday that they had moved the game back to Audi Field.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Poor field conditions force Gotham FC to move NWSL semifinal to 5,000-seat stadium