Gotham FC will march on in the NWSL playoffs, but there are major questions remaining about the pitch at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
The No. 1 seed and defending champions beat Seattle Reign FC 1-0 on Saturday, Nov. 8 in the quarterfinals and will host a semifinal match next weekend. But the poor turf conditions at Sports Illustrated Stadium were a major topic of conversation after the game.
Members of both teams complained about the condition of the venue being below the expected standard. Gotham FC defender Jess Carter said the field was "so bad" and Reign veteran Jess Fishlock, who played in her final match before retiring, called the pitch "atrocious."
"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."
Gotham FC was reportedly fined $10,000 for bad pitch conditions at Sports Illustrated Stadium for the regular season finale when they hosted the Utah Royals a week prior. That match was held two days after an international rugby doubleheader.
In Sunday's match, Gotham FC won after a Seattle own goal from Jordyn Bugg in the fourth minute. According to ESPN, they became the first club in NWSL history to win a playoff match despite not having a shot on target.
Head coach Juan Carlos Amorós took accountability for the turf conditions after the game, even though the Shield winners aren't the primary tenant of Sports Illustrated Stadium. The New York Red Bulls of MLS also utilize the venue and hosted their regular-season finale the night before.
"I feel the obligation to almost apologize for the state of the pitch," 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. Unfortunately, our football club did absolutely everything in their power to make sure that was the case. Unfortunately, it wasn't but luckily, it looks like nobody got hurt and the game was what it was."
USA TODAY Sports reached out to Sports Illustrated Stadium for comment and had not heard back at the time of publication.
Gotham FC, who upset the Washington Spirit last season for the NWSL title, will now face the Kansas City Current in the semifinals. On Sunday night, the NWSL said that the playoff match will be on Sunday, Nov. 15, a day after the Red Bulls' friendly against Club América at Sports Illustrated Stadium. The league did not say where Gotham FC's match will be held, but it could possiblybe played at Icahn Stadium, which has a capacity of 5,000 people.
TheSpirit also had potential scheduling conflicts, but theclub said on Sunday nightthat their semifinal match hosting the Royals will be played at their home venue, Audi Field.
A similar issue happened last month in the WNBA Finals when Game 6 tipped off in the afternoon due to a scheduling conflict with the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Poor turf conditions overshadow Gotham FC NWSL playoff win over Seattle
