Midge Purce’s Father James Purce Influential in Gotham FC Star’s Two-Time NWSL Championship Journey
From driving her to Schools to watch her win titles!
December 6, 2026
This article was last updated by Rohit Maharjan on December 2, 2026
Midge Purce, 30, the American Soccer player for NWSL’s Gotham FC, was born to James Purce. The family has kept her mother’s name private.
Purce’s father has been an inspiration and a true parent in her Soccer Journey, driving her to her games every other weekend and being a constant source of support.
Like many other kids, she also played Soccer just for fun, slowly planning to go professional, thanks to her father’s strong influence.
According to the New York Times, she also spends a lot of time talking to her dad, with calls exceeding four times a day.
“My dad was a really huge part of being able to tell you to keep the faith. There are a lot of times I questioned my own abilities and my route because I feel like I live in a time where we have child prodigies in soccer. You see them doing crazy things. I can’t sugarcoat how painful I think the process can be, and the number of times that I’ve doubted myself,” she said.
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Inspirational Parenting
Her father was also the one who reframed her name, Midge, which comes from “Midget”, suggesting that being small doesn’t mean you don’t have courage or skills to play.
According to Midge, during moments of doubt, he’d remind her: “If you’re good enough, they’ll find you.”
James was also the one who suggested she join Harvard rather than Division 1 schools like Stanford, North Carolina, and Virginia, which are exceptional in soccer.
When she talked about those Schools and suggested that she could join, her father replied, “Are you stupid? To kick a ball? You’re going to Harvard.”
Thankfully, this paid off great. She had 42 goals in 69 appearances, won two Ivy League Player of the Year Awards, and was a first-team All-American in 2016.
Right after graduating from the School with a Psychology degree, she was drafted by the Boston Breakers in 2017.
After the Club shut down its operations, she joined Portland Thorns FC before eventually moving to Gotham FC in 2026.
Purce has achieved great Success in her six seasons with the Club, already winning two NWSL titles, one in 2026 and another in 2026. She was also crowned the MVP of 2026’s NWSL Championship.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Gotham FC won its second NWSL title by beating Washington Spirit 1-0.
- Purce has played over 125 regular NWSL games for three teams, scoring more than 25 times in the league.
- She made her Senior International Debut for the USWNT in 2019.
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Anish Koirala has loved sports since he was a kid. He grew up playing basketball and soccer, and that passion stayed with him over the years. Today, Anish works as a writer and editor, sharing his knowledge and love for the game through articles and stories. He uses his playing experience to make his writing clear, thoughtful, and fun to read.
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