Gotham and Boston’s rivalry is in its infancy – only time will tell if sparks will fly

Though Gotham and Boston ended in a 1-1 draw, the scoreline paints a different picture than what the evening was like. The 2025 NWSL champions controlled most of the match with 60 per cent possession and outshot Boston, 17 to six. Gotham were simply unable to finish — ending the night with 13 shots from inside the box, to the visitors’ three.

This is only the second time the two sides have played one another, and they likely won’t meet again until next year.

When Boston joined the NWSL this season, its proximity to Gotham had many wondering whether an organic rivalry would develop. A historic feud exists between the two cities in other professional sports leagues, most notably Major League Baseball.

“I was hoping for that, because I’m from Boston,” Gotham defender Lilly Reale said after the game. “With it being an East Coast kind of situation, there’s definitely a possibility. I would love for that to happen. Right now, it’s more (of a rivalry) with D.C.”

This match offered early signs of a rivalry — an intense battle on the pitch, controversial calls, a dynamic crowd acting as the team’s 12th man. The team’s proximity to one another may be the most important ingredient in that recipe. But what this feud noticeably lacks is history. A tally of two matches is not long enough for tensions to develop. Having both of their fixtures in the first half of the season also limits the stakes.

Take the case of the Washington Spirit and Gotham. The NWSL billed this match-up as a rivalry long before it became one. While the two sides have met 44 times, the most memorable meetings were in the playoffs. Spirit topped Gotham in a thrilling penalty shootout in the 2024 semifinals, a historic moment at Audi Field. Last year, Gotham beat Spirit to win the NWSL championship in California.

Purce quickly shot down any inkling that a rivalry was brewing between Boston and Gotham. “They are really physical team with everyone — that’s part of their identity,” Purce said. “I don’t feel a rivalry, yet, but maybe my standards are a little high.”

The reality in the NWSL remains that any team can win a match on any given day. A team at the top of the table could find themselves at the bottom of the league two weeks later. The league’s parity is what executives in the front office love to boast about. That’s what makes games like the Boston vs. Gotham fixture exciting, rather than any feud between the two sides.

Boston was fresh off their first win in franchise history over fellow expansion side Denver Summit last weekend, a thrilling comeback victory thanks to two stoppage-time goals. Though Boston’s start to their season has been slow, they have picked up steam. Gotham, similarly, has finally found their rhythm while managing several injuries on their roster, though consistency in the final third remains an issue.

“Every game in this league is going to be really competitive,” Gotham midfielder Sarah Schupansky said. “Going into this game (against Boston), we knew that it was going to be physical, and that’s how they were going to play — our goal was to not match that kind of game. It turned into that type of game but the key was to try to find our rhythm and move the ball like we know how.”

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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