Sam Kerr: Former Chelsea forward returns to Gotham FC in front of record crowd

the former Chelsea forward Sam Kerr Begins her second spell with Gotham FC in front of the largest crowd ever for a women’s sporting event in New York City.

Over 42,000 fans turned out at Citi Field for Gotham’s 1-0 win over the Washington Spirit in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL).

Normally home to the New York Mets, the Major League Baseball team, the official attendance was announced as a sellout of 42,715.

Kerr, who came on as a second-half substitute, played for Gotham between 2015 and 2017 when they were known as Sky Blue FC.

“In a lot of ways it’s a full-circle moment with Sam Kerr coming here and experiencing it on his first night,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said.

American midfielder Rose Lovell scored the winner in the first half.

Gotham’s previous best attendance for a game was 15,560 in 2024 and the record crowd for an NWSL game remains the 63,000 who watched the Spirit play Denver Summit last March at Empower Field, home of the NFL Denver Broncos.

Gotham recently announced that they will be moving from Sports Illustrated Stadium in New Jersey to Etihad Park in Queens, a field they will share with MLS team New York City.

The move is reportedly designed to help Gotham become accessible to more fans.