In a wide open Wednesday night match, the Seattle Reign and Portland Thorns traded half-chances for 90-plus minutes, with Payton Linnehan's near-post goal in the 40th minute the sole tally on the night. While the goal gave Portland the win over Seattle, it wasn't enough for the Thorns to advance, and at the final whistle the tournament was over for both Cascadia sides.
As the first half developed, the Reign and Thorns traded opportunities. Though each side had chances to take the lead, few of them were particularly high-quality, and neither team seemed to have much of an edge. A well-timed run onto a ball over the top found Linnehan 1-v-3 against Shae Holmes, Phoebe McClernon, and Laurel Ivory in the area, and her clever touch cut McClernon out of the play before she beat a stumbling Ivory near post for the lead.
The Reign had a number of opportunities to pull level, but as has been the case so often this season – everything but the final product. Nifty buildups fizzled out harmlessly, set piece deliveries found their targets but bounced high and wide. Whether a veteran or a promising kid feeling out their first NWSL minutes, nobody in blue could find that touch to get a goal past Shelby Hogan.
On the plus side, the 1-0 win was not enough for Portland to win the group, as Utah – fresh off rinsing Portland, 3-1 – disassembled Tijuana 5-1 to win the group on goal differential. (Given the NWSL x LMXF Summer Cup format, truly one of the formats of all time, Utah may or may not advance to the knockouts.) A competitive loss, but doing enough to spoil shit for Portland is always worth a mention anyway.
WHAT WORKED: Minutes for the kids
Though the short turnaround meant it was a more veteran-heavy lineup than the Reign's prior two Fun Cup matches, the Reign once again found minutes for a bunch of the promising young players. Jordyn Bugg, Ainsley McCammon, Emeri Adames and Maddie Mercado all saw the pitch, and we got a bit more of a look at what they can do.
The 17-year-old Bugg looked at home, showing steadiness and savvy in defense next to McClernon, along with some tidy passing range. Sixteen-year-old McCammon also showed phenomenal vision on a few sequences. While neither is likely ready to be an everyday contributor, they showed plenty to be excited about.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK: The near post
The decisive moment of the match came in the 40th minute, when Payton Linnehan timed her run perfectly, beat McClernon on the dribble, and beat Ivory cleanly to the near post. Nothing to take away from Linnehan's skill in the moment, but it was a very preventable – and very savable – goal at a few different pressure points, and one the Reign probably want back, Laurel Ivory most of all.
When Linnehan got in on her near post again in the second half, it's worth noting that Ivory was having none of it, and refused to be beaten the same way twice.
OH MY, PAYTON LINNEHAN 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/6LxVv9PTk4
— National Women’s Soccer League (@NWSL) August 1, 2024
WHAT DIDN'T WORK: Finishing chances
The Reign took 19 shots, but put only five of those on target, and none of them made Shelby Hogan work all that much. Frequently dictating the pace of play and frequently looking crisp and capable in the buildup despite Portland's consistent disruption and fouls (the Thorns out-fouled the Reign 12-6 on the night), the Reign nevertheless could not find that bit of quality to turn a good buildup into a real chance.
Always one step away. The ball in not quite right, the touch not quite right, the shot not quite right. With all the time they had on the ball and all the touches in dangerous spaces, the Reign needed to be able to assemble a clear-cut chance and actually sink it.
Always been the same, same old story...
"I think it was a great like little mini tournament to have in the summer period."
Despite the outcome, Shae Holmes was positive about the (admittedly somewhat strangely formatted) summer tournament, speaking positively about the variety of new players who got minutes - "...it gave a lot of opportunity to a lot of people that normally either don't get minutes or, a lot of like non-starters [...] I think it was fun to play with a bunch of different styles of personalities that we've been training with all throughout the year so far."
Shae was effusive in her joy about playing with Jordyn Bugg in particular: "I actually told her after the game, I was like, you're awesome, love playing next to you. You're doing great. [...] I feel like it's been really cool to see her kind of come out of her shell from training it with us to then being on the team fully."
"I feel like a broken record, again."
Lamenting the lack of "quality in the moments that we need them", a frustrated Laura Harvey mentioned all the same beats, all over again.
"I'm just looking here, we've had 12 shots inside their box. We've had 19 shots in total. We didn't make the keeper work enough."
She did call out the teenagers Bugg and McCammon for their play, noting McCammon's "...fantastic pass in the first half to Veronica [Latsko] to create an opportunity," and giving high marks to Bugg's game as well: "I thought Jordyn Bugg again was good tonight. You know, it's very difficult to come here and play. And to play another 90 minutes after a really quick turnaround, the only one who did that."
"Stay tuned."
Asked if Reign fans should expect any other moves in the summer transfer window, Harvey offered an unusually playful and mercurial two-word response: stay tuned.
The Summer Fun Cup is over for the Reign and Thorns alike. The Reign will return to action against the North Carolina Courage on August 25th at 7:00 PM in a match which will also feature the retirement of Megan Rapinoe's jersey. Show out to cheer at Lumen Field, or watch the match on KONG or streaming on NWSL+.
