Midge Purce Is Gunning for Another Championship
Gotham FC’s Midge Purce is one of those soccer players whose impact shows on the field well before the scoreboard catches up to her. After recovering from an ACL tear that sidelined her last season, Purce has worked her way back into form as the connective tissue between Gotham’s midfield and attack, helping the New York–New Jersey squad squeak into the postseason earlier this month as the lowest-seeded team. Then came a playoff run no one could have predicted, with an upset win over the seemingly unstoppable No. 1 seed, Kansas City Current, and a semifinal surge against the reigning National Women’s Soccer League champion, Orlando Pride. Now Purce, who was the MVP of the 2023 NWSL final, is within striking distance of another championship.
A multi-cap U.S. national team player and former Harvard standout, Purce has distinguished herself both on the pitch and in the boardroom. In 2020, she co-founded the Black Women’s Player Collective, which works to expand access and opportunity for Black girls in sport. She also played a key role in the fight that led the United States men’s and women’s national soccer teams to a landmark collective-bargaining agreement that secured equal pay and working conditions for women’s internationals. In between it all, Purce finds time to have fun with her teammates, many of whom she describes like family. “Rose Lavelle and I, we really think that we are the Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo of soccer,” Purce said. “Whenever we’re blasting music in the gym, I can count on her to finish the duet. The whole team has been watching the videos of the Wicked press tour, and everyone’s like, ‘Oh, that’s Rose and Midge in another life.’”
Ahead of the NWSL finals, I caught up with Purce about mentally preparing to take on the Washington Spirit, overcoming injury, and the rules she lives by.
You had to take nearly the whole of the 2024 season off. How was coming back from injury?
It gave me a lot of perspective. I have a lot of gratitude for the people around me, not just the players, but the staff and the medical team and everyone who’s working to make this club what it is. I started this year still in my ACL recovery. When we were in Spain for preseason, I wasn’t even practicing with the team. It wasn’t easy coming back. There were so many games that I would call Tierna Davidson, one of my teammates, who also tore her ACL and then unfortunately tore it again. I would ask, “Is this how it’s supposed to feel?” I still think I’m not quite back to where I want to be, but I’m getting there.
What is your No. 1 rule in a training session?
I have to give my best that I have that day. That doesn’t mean that I’ll do or perform my best, but it will be my best on that day. It also means I do everything that I can off the field to be prepared on the field physically.
You’re one of the league’s top players. Do you find yourself giving other players advice?
I tend to give a lot of unsolicited advice, and I don’t know if it’s the most credible. But I try to only give advice about things that I have failed through. It’s really easy to give advice if you’ve just walked through something unscathed, and you’re like, “What I did is great!” But I think you learn so much more when you did it wrong. When people ask me for advice, I’m really flattered. I’m an open book — ask and you shall receive. “What is your No. 1 fashion rule?” That’s a hard one. I’m not someone who’s like, “I have to feel super physically comfortable in all the clothes I’m wearing.” I don’t mind being uncomfortable if I really like the way something looks. That’s probably anti-fashion because I feel like right now most people dress for comfort. Physically, I don’t mind being uncomfortable, but emotionally, I always have to be comfortable in what I’m wearing.
What’s your No. 1 rule for meeting other famous people?
I approach everyone the same, to be quite honest. Famous people are just like the popular kids in high school. I’m often on a bigger world stage, and those kids are the same. So I just treat everyone with kindness.
Do you have any rules in your home?
Shoes off as soon as you walk in the door! And this is the one that annoys my boyfriend the most: I don’t like loud lights. I like warm, soft lights. I love candles. There’s just some really big, loud lights that I have — like, open ceiling fixtures — and I don’t like when those are on. It feels overwhelming.
What’s your rule while walking around New York City?
I grew up watching a lot of Law & Order: SVU, so I keep my head on a swivel. I’m very alert when I’m in the city. The only exception is if I’m with my boyfriend. I’m one of those people where I kind of shut my brain off when I’m with him, and I’m not anywhere as near aware as when I’m alone.
What’s your No. 1 rule for dating?
I love giving dating advice. I don’t know if I have a No. 1 rule, honestly; Chris makes it so easy. It’s cheesy, but everything that I do in my relationship, I try to lead with love. Even when I’m irritable in the way that I speak and the way that I communicate, I try to remember that this is the person that I really, really love, so I need to make sure that I’m delivering all my messages with that truth in mind.
How do you handle something as stressful as the finals? Any self-care tips for staying focused?
Our minds like to tell us a bunch of lies, and sometimes we forget what’s truth and what’s not. For a week like this, I try to remember the basic, rudimentary facts, which is that my team is really, really good. Whoever’s standing next to me is going to give 100 percent of everything they have. I have the talent, and I’m gifted enough to do exactly what I want to do on the field. So it’s just not letting the outside noise get in. I take some time alone just to be with my thoughts. I’m a journaler, and I burn the journals when I finish them because I don’t want any records. And I pray a lot. Those things keep me grounded.