Team News: Purce, Schupansky Re-Enter Gotham FC Lineup for The Queens Classic

Midge Purce and Sarah Schupansky are set to rejoin Gotham FC’s starting lineup for the historic rematch of the 2025 NWSL Championship at The Queens Classic at Citi Field, presented by CarMax.

Those two represent the changes made to Gotham FC coach Juan Carlos Amorós’s team, which returns home following a 3-1 win at Utah Royals FC this past Friday. New signing Sam Kerr, freshly arrived from Chelsea FC, is available off the bench for Gotham FC.

Tonight’s game is expected to smash the New York City attendance record for a women’s sporting event, with a 42,175 capacity set for the iconic home of Major League Baseball’s New York Mets. ESPN will carry the national broadcast. Kickoff slated for 8:15 p.m. ET.

Gotham FC (7-3-3, 24 points) can move level on points with Washington (8-2-3, 27 points) with a home win. The teams rank fourth and second, respectively, in the logjammed top half of the NWSL standings.

Schupansky, whose long pass to Bruninha led to the championship-winning goal last November, will make her sixth start of the 2026 campaign. The University of Pittsburgh graduate registered her first assist of the season in the win at Utah, curling a perfectly-weighted lead pass to Esther González for the Spaniard’s second goal of the match.

In the midfield, Schupansky will be joined by Jaelin Howell, the team’s leader in minutes, and creative maestro Rose Lavelle. Howell has started every game in which she appeared for Gotham FC, playing the full 90 minutes in all but two of those 41 regular season matches.

Purce slots in at right back, sharing the wide defensive flanks with Norwegian international Guro Reiten. It’s Purce’s 17th game against her hometown team. The 30-year-old has three goals against the Spirit. In the middle, captain Tierna Davidson and Emily Sonnett line up together for the fourth consecutive game across competitions.

Up front, González leads the line following her brace at Utah. The 33-year-old striker is tied for the team lead with left winger Jaedyn Shaw with four goals. She converted a penalty in the first half before her late goal from Schupansky. Rookie sensation Jordynn Dudley, who won the penalty that González scored, starts on the right.

Goalkeeper Ann-Katrin Berger makes her 13th start for the club, seeking her eighth shutout.

Gotham FC’s bench includes goalkeeper Shelby Hogan; defenders Bruninha, Jess Carter and Mandy Freeman; midfielders Sofia Cook, Savannah McCaskill and Talia Sommer; and forwards Kerr and Andrea Kitahata.

Defender Kayla Duran (knee) and midfielder Taryn Torres (knee) are both on the season-ending injury list.

Gotham FC lineup vs. Washington Spirit

30 – Ann-Katrin Berger (GK)

23 – Midge Purce

6 – Emily Sonnett

15 – Tierna Davidson (c)

18 – Guro Reiten

7 – Jaelin Howell

11 – Sarah Schupansky

16 – Rose Lavelle

2 – Jordynn Dudley

9 – Esther González

10 – Jaedyn Shaw

Substitutes: 1 – Shelby Hogan (GK), 3 – Bruninha, 13 – Savannah McCaskill, 14 – Talia Sommer, 20 – Sam Kerr, 21 – Sofia Cook, 22 – Mandy Freeman,, 24 – Andrea Kitahata, 27 – Jess Carter