Seattle Reign, Bay FC, and another frustrating 1 goal loss

On a forbodingly sunny Sunday afternoon at Lumen Field, Seattle Reign and Bay FC kicked off at a hundred miles per hour. After a breakneck opening 25 minutes with several chances but no good chances going both directions, the Reign once again found themselves playing from behind.

With Lauren Barnes off the pitch for injury treatment, Phoebe McClernon went into a tackle on Asisat Oshoala at the top of the area, and the referee pointed to the spot. While McClernon looked to have gotten at least some ball, the broadcast angles weren't conclusive enough for a review, and McClernon didn't really need to make the tackle anyway. In the 27th minute, Oshoala sent Claudia Dickey the wrong way and slotted her penalty home.

1-0, Bay.

Bay had a couple other good chances springing Racheal Kundananji on the counter, including a clean breakaway where McClernon lost her footing and Kundananji had just Dickey to beat, but they failed to convert any of them, and the scoreline would hold, with the Reign generating little on the way to their third consecutive loss and third consecutive match without scoring a goal.

While not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, the Reign are now very close, and after a performance like that in a six point matchup with a team they're chasing for that playoff spot, they probably don't deserve to be in it anyway.

WHAT WORKED: Nothing..?

This was a no good, very bad match where the Reign controlled a bunch of phases of play and did nothing with it, and Bay FC saw little of the ball, lost a majority of their challenges, were outpossessed, outshot, and outpressed, and yet hands-down, were undeniably that better team.

WHAT WORKED: The Kids Will Come Good

Coming on at halftime for the injured (-_-) Lauren Barnes, Jordyn Bugg had a big mistake on a counter one time, but had more big moments on the positive side of things, showing both a good read of the game and a sublime last-gasp tackle to deny Bay FC an insurance goal. Emeri Adames provided a spark that none of the veterans could, bringing a sense of urgency and just trying shit that was sorely lacking.

Young players are consistently inconsistent, but the Baby Reign have some real promise, and we at least have that to look forward to.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK: The Offense

The Reign managed 62% possession, 13 shots, and 7 shots inside Bay FC's penalty area, and yet created virtually no danger. A half-shout for a handling penalty, a Ji volley that went well wide, an Adames strike that went straight to Katelyn Rowland, so many shots taken a bit too late, when they were too easy to defend – there was no final touch, no finished product.

None of that little bit of quality. Every good passage of play ultimately went begging for a bit of magic that never came.

It's been three games without a goal, and the loss of Jess Fishlock and Sofia Huerta – and the danger they always manage to create – just when the Reign were starting to cook is looming large.

WHAT DIDN'T WORK: Penalties

Not to get controversial here, but it's bad to give up penalties while temporarily down a player, with a level score, at home, desperate for points. Anyway here's Oshoala's goal.

McClernon might've been a bit hard done on the call, but when you go into a challenge like that, you take the risk. Without a conclusive angle on broadcast, hoping for it to be overturned was always a long shot.

"I'm a broken record."

Laura Harvey was certainly frustrated with the result, and quick to note that the Reign's decision making was too slow, and quality on the ball in key moments lacking:

"I'm a broken record, but I think the quality on the ball, our decision making in moments on the ball and then our, you know, ability in and around the goal to create things just wasn't good enough today."

Talking more about how the game got away from the Reign, she noted: "There was obviously a couple of times where they broke us down from [the run of play]," but stressed that the Reign's fecklessness in possession created much of Bay FC's danger. "Overall, their chances came from us – giving the ball away in in those moments, which we have to be better at."

"The sky is the limit for her."

Despite the hard result, Olivia Athens was effusive in her praise for Jordyn Bugg, who came on at halftime for an injured Lu Barnes: "Yeah, I mean, you wouldn't know she's 18. She's come in, she's fit so well, and she shows it on the field, she's, you know, a tall player already being so young.

"I think the sky is the limit for her and it's exciting that we have such a young talent on our side and, get to keep seeing her improve and get better, because she's only gonna get better."

The Reign are back in action on Friday, hosting Angel City FC at Lumen Field at 7:00 PM PT. Catch the match live, or watch it streaming on Prime Video.

Every point is at a premium, and the Reign can neither afford to drop another result nor see the teams they're chasing pick up additional points. But no matter the outcome of the playoff chase, they have an opportunity to play spoiler again against a particularly annoying side that too many pundits were picking to run the table at the Reign's expense.