Match preview: Seattle Reign vs. Bay FC

Susie Rantz -

Seattle Reign is back at home on Sunday afternoon, hosing Bay FC at Lumen Field. The match kicks off at 3 PM PT and will air on KONG TV locally and stream on KING5+ and NWSL+.

Both teams are in a push for the playoffs. Bay FC entered the weekend tied on points with Racing Louisville, who occupied the final playoff spot ahead of this weekend's results. The Reign are five points behind both teams and really need a win this weekend to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Bay FC and the Reign play a somewhat similar style, although Bay has more speed up top. They are even on several stats like possession and passing and have scored and conceded a similar number of goals. Both teams will also have players back who featured for the United States in the U-20 Women's World Cup – Savy King for Bay FC and Jordyn Bugg and Emeri Adames for the Reign.

"I feel like I'm in game shape," Adames said about the quick turnaround from the tournament back to NWSL games. "I feel like I'm ready, and I'm kind of still on a little bit of a high from that [3rd place match] win and that tournament. So, it makes me want to be like, 'We can do this. Let's just keep going, let's keep getting the wins.' And it's totally a possibility, and we can really just push to get that."

Recent Results

The Reign fell 1-0 to the Houston Dash on the road last Saturday. Bay FC played well against the unbeaten Orlando Pride at home, but a late Barbra Banda goal also gave them a 1-0 loss.

Head-to-Head

This is the second matchup between the two teams in 2024.

  • It's also the second-ever meeting between the Reign and the expansion club.
  • The Reign fell 3-2 to Bay FC on the road on April 14.

Quick Stats

  • Bay (8-12-1, 25 points) has scored 25 goals and conceded 33.
  • Seattle (5-11-5, 20 points) has scored 23 goals and conceded 35.
  • The Reign are 3-3-4 at home this season. Bay FC are 4-5-1 on the road.
  • The Reign have used a different lineup in all 21 regular-season matches.
  • Forward Asisat Oshoala leads Bay FC with five goals.

What to Watch

Bay FC applies pressure

One thing you can expect Bay FC to do consistently is provide immediate pressure on the ball. When they lose the ball, they immediately work to win it back. When their opponent has possession, they work hard to close down quickly on the ball. They like to swarm and make it difficult.

They also love to press and transition quickly into the attack. They are third in possession won in their final third behind Gotham and the Current.

That means the Reign cannot turn off at any moment, especially when they win the ball initially from Bay FC. They also need to be confident and clean in possession as they build out of the back, something the Reign struggled to do against Gotham two weeks ago. As Laura Harvey likes to say, "Prevention is better than a cure."

The hold-up play of Ana-Maria Crnogorčević and Jordyn Huitema could be crucial as well to help the Reign break Bay FC's press and maintain possession higher up the field.

Bay loves to get to the endline

Bay FC has speed on their wings and players like Racheal Kundananji who can get in behind defenses. Bay FC has the third most touches in their attacking box and has won the most corner kicks. Their attack can feel extremely fast and they look to go forward often, attempting the third most crosses in the league.

They have been really clicking in the attack since returning from the Olympic break. According to American Soccer Analysis, in the last five games, Bay FC has produced 8.91 expected goals – second in the league behind the Washington Spirit.

The Reign gave up two goals to Bay FC off corner kicks in their first meeting, with the third coming from an Alana Cook deflection on a shot from distance. The team looks at lot different than it did back in April, and this new Reign side will need to be much more ruthless in the box and when defending set pieces.

Vulnerable on the wings

After acquiring Abby Dahlkemper, Bay FC has been a tough side to break down. They've allowed four goals and conceded just 4.84 expected goals in the last five games, fourth best in the league. But just like Bay FC likes to transition and use their wings, they can be vulnerable in the same ways on the defensive side. Bay FC gave up a late goal to Orlando on an inch-perfect cross from Carson Pickett.

They allowed the Royals to switch the field and transition quickly on them, which resulted in a perfectly placed shot from Paige Monaghan.

The Spirit also scored in a moment of transition, catching Bay FC out of position.

None of these shots were high-percentage chances, but Bay FC's opponents found a way to get on the scoresheet in the second half. Reign will need to take their chances when they have them, because they know Bay FC won't make it easy.

The Reign weren't able to do that last week against Houston, which Harvey hopes can be corrected on Sunday – and that the Reign can create even more goal-scoring opportunities to put away.

"We had enough clear-cut chances to beat Houston and we got beat by an unbelievable goal, but we had way better chances than they had to score goals. So, we have to be mindful of that. Did we create as much as we've created in other games? Maybe not. But we created enough chances to win the game. I don't think in this league you can ever expect that you're just going to constantly get a multitude of chances, you've got to earn that, but I think we've got to continue to move the ball, control the game, work the opponent so that we can create these opportunities and earn the right to create them. I think that's a big key as well."

Injury / Availability Report

Seattle Reign

OUT:
Ryanne Brown (SEI – knee)
Jess Fishlock (leg)
Olivia Van der Jagt (excused absence)

Bay FC

OUT: Savy King (excused absence)
Alex Loera (SEI - knee)
Melissa Lowder (SEI - knee)

QUESTIONABLE: Joelle Anderson (back)

How to Watch

Seattle Reign hosts Bay FC at Lumen Field on Sunday, September 29. The game kicks off at 3 PM PT and will air locally on KONG TV and stream on NWSL+ and KING5+.