It’s Rivalry Weekend presented by Ally here in the NWSL, and while Portland and Seattle battle it out in the latest installment the Cascadia Clash, the league’s second oldest rivalry is heating up, too.
Gotham FC hosts the Washington Spirit on Saturday afternoon, and it’s sure to be another heated chapter of this growing intense match-up. While Gotham one-upped the Spirit in their first battle of 2025, the sting of their playoff loss at Audi last season is surely not forgotten.
Washington, on the other hand, just landed in third place thanks to a stoppage-time game-winner courtesy of Trinity Rodman and are desperate to cling to that momentum..
Saturday’s game is sure to be another fiery beat in this story, but before that chapter is written, we’re taking a look back at some memorable moments in the Empire vs. District rivalry.
2025 DISTRICT VS. EMPIRE ROUND ONE
This is the second time these teams are facing off this season, and Gotham left Audi Field victorious, decisively defeating the Spirit, 3-0.
Golden Boot leader Esther González set a new club record with her third two-goal game in a single season, though it wouldn’t be her last, adding another two goals against Utah before the international break. Rookie Sarah Schupansky also earned an assist and scored her first career goal.
2024 SEMIFINAL
Triumph for one team means heartbreak for another, and nothing captures that quite like the 2024 semifinal matchup between these two rivals.
The game was deadlocked at 1-1 thanks to goals from Washington’s Hal Hershfelt and Gotham’s González, and the stakes for penalty kicks couldn’t be higher. With Rowdy Audi on their side, the Spirit punched their ticket to the 2024 NWSL Championship, dashing Gotham’s dreams of back-to-back trophies.
BRUNINHA'S 2023 BEAUTY
There are many memorable goals over the years, but Bruninha’s 2023 beauty deserves a moment of recognition. In an intense game that ended in a 1-1 draw, Bruninha got Gotham on the board first, launching a shot from just outside the box into the high right corner. Keeper Aubrey Kingsbury didn’t have a chance.
SILKY SMOOTH SPIRIT GOALS
The July 18, 2021 matchup ultimately ended in a Gotham win, but the highlight reel moments belong to the Spirit.
Just 13 minutes in, Trinity Rodman, then just a rookie, launched a cross from the far side, placing it perfectly in the back right corner of the net. In the opening minutes of the second half, Ashley Sanchez took a free kick from just outside the box, arching it above a line of Gotham players and over the head of DiDi Haracic for the equalizer.
MIDGE PURCE STOPPAGE TIME WINNER
The NWSL Fall Series in 2020 wasn’t the season soccer fans imagined, but it provided a much needed return to some variation of live sports as we knew it. With the score even at the end of regulation, it looked like it would end in a draw.
Enter Midge Purce.
Just 30 seconds into stoppage time, Purce strode downfield, knocking a low shot past Kingsbury to give her club, then Sky Blue FC, the win.