An NWSL rivalry was born on Saturday, as expansion side Boston visited Gotham FC for the first time this season — ultimately splitting the difference in a 1-1 draw.
Both goals came over the course of three minutes. Gotham forward Jaedyn Shaw scored in the 37th minute, before Legacy midfielder Alba Caño leveled the field in the 40th.
“I think the team starts to understand,” said Legacy manager Filipa Patão. “To beat us will start to be very, very hard, because we fight until the last minute.”
“I don’t feel a rivalry, yet, but maybe my standards are a little high,” laughed Gotham forward Midge Purce.
The regional feud drew a crowd. 11,308 fans took advantage of NYC Mayor Mamdani’s $5 ticket campaign, ranking as Gotham’s fourth-most attended regular-season match on record.
And the stars definitely came out. The mayor subsequently linked up with NWSL icon Ali Krieger, WNBA legend Sue Bird, and USWNT coach Emma Hayes at Red Bull Arena.
“That’s what you dream of as a player, to be able to get out and give a crowd something to cheer about,” said Gotham midfielder Savannah McCaskill.
With the October 31st WNBA CBA deadline just days away, more than 70 elected officials are weighing in, sending a letter voicing support for the WNBA Players Association (WNBPA) to league commissioner Cathy Engelbert and NBA commissioner Adam Silver last Friday.
"This new CBA deal is an opportunity to set the record straight that women are valuable workers who deserve to be paid accordingly and treated fairly," the letter states.
The lawmakers also urge the league to "bargain in good faith to reach a fair CBA" before the current agreement expires.
Mayors, council members, and assembly members from seven WNBA markets signed the document — including New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — as WNBA leadership continues facing increased scrutiny.
"We all want to be able to take in a full season, but we know...what [the players] deserve to earn," said New York City council member Tiffany Cabán, a longtime NY Liberty fan who spearheaded the effort.
The action represents a growing number of politicians applying public pressure to commissioner Engelbert, with the letter's 70 lawmakers joining the 85 members of the Democratic Women's Caucus and House Democratic Caucus, who penned their own letter last month.
As external pressure builds, hope is dimming for an agreement by Friday, with WNBPA senior advisor and legal counsel Erin D. Drake telling The Athletic on Tuesday that "it takes two to tango, and it has been difficult to find a beat, to find a rhythm, and to find the same sense of urgency [from the WNBA]."
As all eyes turn to the WNBA this week, the question remains whether a new CBA or deadline extension will be on Friday's docket.
"We're still going to be negotiating until [it's] done," promised Drake. "We just don't know how long that is going to take, unfortunately."