Trinity Rodman says NWSL record-crowd game in NY should not have been played amid poor air

NYNJ host committee CEO Alex Lasry discusses the unprecedented scale of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, calling it potentially the biggest event in human history. Lasry explains New York and New Jersey are ready for billions of viewers and global dignitaries.

The largest crowd at Citi Field this year has not been for a New York Mets game, but rather for Wednesday night's record-setting contest between Gotham FC and the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).

A total of 42,175 fans braved the poor air quality in New York stemming from wildfires in Canada, the most ever for a women's sporting event in New York City, but the spectacle, one of the stars on the pitch said, should not have been played.

"If we have to have a hydration break every 15 minutes, then we shouldn’t be playing the game, and that’s my opinion," Washington's Trinity Rodman said, via The Athletic. "But at the end of the day, there’s 40,000 people. It’s a whole event, so it’s really tough. It’s just a really hard situation for everyone to work around."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Trinity Rodman of the Washington Spirit controls the ball against Midge Purce of NJ/NY Gotham FC during an NWSL match at Citi Field in New York on July 15, 2026. (Dustin Satloff/NWSL via Getty Images)

The air quality in the tri-state area has been deemed "unhealthy," perhaps putting a wrinkle in Sunday's World Cup Final at nearby MetLife Stadium. Rodman said the air quality was "rough" to go along with temperatures that neared triple digits.

"Not to make excuses at all, but I think on both sides we were all like, ‘another break, another break, another break,'" Rodman, whose team lost 1-0, said.

Earlier this month, Gotham announced