​NEW YORK — It wasn’t a perfect night in Queens, as Gotham FC defeated the Washington Spirit 1-0 in front of a sold-out crowd of 42,175 fans at Citi Field, home of the Mets. Underneath a sky of wildfire smoke and haze, the teams played through four hydration breaks, injury stoppages, oppressive summer heat and a patchy pitch.However, there was something about the Wednesday night spent in a baseball stadium that felt perfectly NWSL: incredible and maddening, promising and problematic — with a touch of inevitable magic from Gotham midfielder Rose Lavelle and her left-footed goal that elevated spectators into touching the sublime of women’s soccer.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDespite the less-than-ideal environmental conditions, the match was a resounding success: The second-largest regular-season attendance in the NWSL, Gotham’s best attendance, the most media to attend a Gotham regular-season match, a crowd made up of 70 percent new fans that the team can now lean on as they eye their permanent move to Queens in 2028 and 3 points.For Gotham owner Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, the Queens Classic was always intended to be a statement game.The NWSL’s approach to scheduling for teams that played in locations limited by the men’s World Cup was to schedule away games once the teams returned to play in July. But with the World Cup final down the road at MetLife Stadium, Tisch Blodgett immediately knew she wanted to insert Gotham into one of the biggest weeks for the sport.“Gotham has to be at the center of it,” Tisch Blodgett said on the “Full Time” podcast this week. “We have to be a part of it.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere were logistical hurdles. The league and players’ association had to clear the move to a baseball stadium due to the playing surface, and the league front office worked with ESPN to clear a new broadcast window to fit in the game at 8 p.m. According to those involved in planning, there had originally been a desire to have the game lead into ABC’s coverage of the ESPYs, also happening in New York. Instead, it aired on ESPN and had crossover programming with the award show carpet.It was fitting that a modified line from the movie “Field of Dreams” got plenty of play in the build-up to the match: “if you build it, they will come.” A baseball line for a soccer game in a baseball stadium. A one-off success is great, but now comes the real test as Gotham embarks on a two-year runway to their move to Etihad Park in Queens.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“When we put the product in front of the right people, when we market it, when we invest behind it, when people have access to it, they will show up, and they care,” Tisch Blodgett said earlier this week. “This has raised the standard not just for Gotham, but for the whole league.”There are large challenges ahead for Gotham to finally crack the New York City market with a move across the East River. Tisch Blodgett