Seattle Reign announced on Thursday morning that the club signed Jordyn Huitema to a new contract through 2026, with a mutual option for 2027. The forward, who joined the Reign midseason in 2022, was set to become a free agent following the 2024 season.
Still only 23 years old, Huitema has already started 38 games across all NWSL competitions and tallied nine goals and three assists in 41 regular season matches. She has two goals and one assist in 2024 and is a big part of the Reign's collective defensive approach and press – a club trademark under head coach Laura Harvey.
"I think some of the hardest running I do is actually in the press," Huitema said with a chuckle during an exclusive conversation with Ride of the Valkyries about her new contract and what it's like to play under Harvey and call Seattle home.
"The support I've really felt since coming to the club is a huge piece of why I wanted to continue," Huitema told Ride of the Valkyries about this new contract. "The fans, the coaches, the players, the people in general have really made it feel like home for me, so I'm excited to continue playing in front of everybody. The staff has allowed me to flourish, be my best self, and continue to push my own limits. I'm just really grateful and excited to continue doing that."
When the Reign signed Huitema in 2022, Harvey talked about the potential she had yet to fully tap into. Closing in on two and a half seasons – where she's already helped the team win the NWSL Shield and advance to last year's championship game – Huitema said Harvey is a bit part of why she chose to stay in Seattle.
"She's just such a great leader. She's a coach that, number one, wants the best out of you, but also a coach that gets the best out of you in the way of: you want to perform for them. It's so pure and genuine in that way. I think she just sees potential. She's able to see a version of myself that maybe I might not even be able to see at certain moments. She's really had my back, she's supported me, and I'm so grateful for that."
Coming up on her second full season in Seattle and playing in the NWSL, Huitema feels she is truly getting settled in and knows what the NWSL requires, what work she can do on the field throughout the season, and how she can carry it over into off-season programs so her game can go to the next level.
Her head coach agrees.
“Jordyn is still very early in her career, but she is already a true professional with invaluable experience that has helped us as a club on and off the field,” Harvey said in a team release. “She fits very well into our style of play and knows how to make an impact in the game. Jordyn has a bright future in this sport and league.”
Before coming to the Reign, Huitema spent three seasons with PSG, making 71 appearances and scoring nine goals. Internationally, she has represented Canada on the world’s biggest stages, including two FIFA Women’s World Cups and the Olympics, with Canada winning a Gold Medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Since making her senior national team debut at 15 years old, Huitema has earned 85 caps and 35 starts – scoring 21 goals and notching six assists.
Celebrating the new CBA
While the timing of Huitema's new contract comes off the momentum of the NWSL Players Association and the league agreeing to a historic new CBA that gives players far more agency and control over their careers, Huitema said this new contract wasn't contingent on the new CBA getting done. At the same time, she praised the NWSL Players Association for their work to ensure freedom of movement and job safety for all players in the league.
"I do think both my contract and the CBA are amazing steps forward for myself individually and for the league. As far as the CBA, it's super exciting, and I think it gives a lot of excitement to the players, a lot of freedom, security and safety, which is a player's dream. So that's super, super amazing. As far as my contract, I knew I wanted to stay, and it was just always my goal. Seattle's home."
Finding a second home in Seattle
On the topic of home, there are elements in Seattle that remind Huitema of her hometown of Chilliwack, British Columbia, but she is still very much exploring Seattle due to the travel demands of the NWSL and her international duty with Canada. Huitema is excited that the new contract provides a few years of stability.
"Seattle kind of feels like my hometown, just the nature piece of it. The people are so kind, and I think that little piece of home just feels so familiar. When I land in the airport, it genuinely feels so warm and comfortable and cozy," said Huitema.
Welcoming the Reign's newcomers
Huitema's new contract follows recent midseason additions of Nérilia Mondésir, Ana-Maria Crnogorčević, Jaelin Howell, and U-18 players Jordyn Bugg and Ainsley McCammon. Huitema herself joined the Reign halfway through the 2022 campaign, so she remembers what it was like being the new face and wanted to ensure the new arrivals were welcomed.
"I knew how tough it is to come in the middle of a season, so I wanted to give open arms to them because for me personally experiencing that, I knew that I wanted to kind of give them a hand and find their way through that."
Huitema also said that having some teammates who are new to the club and the region makes the exploration and discovery of what the Seattle and Puget Sound region has to offer all the more exciting. On Tuesday, the team celebrated Lily Woodham's birthday by going to an arcade. You might have seen an Instagram Stories post on Huitema's feed showing Julia Lester and a bunch of rubber ducks.
So, what's with the rubber ducks?
"Oh my gosh, that's so funny. Julia and I were at the claw machine game for probably 30 minutes just playing that game. We were just having a blast. Honestly, there was one that we really wanted – when they put it on the edge and you can't get it – so we were really just trying to work to move everything around. Then it just turned out really fun because you could never lose. As soon as you pay, you automatically win a duck. If you miss it on the first try, it'll always let you retry. So we felt that was really fun because it felt fair because we paid for the duck, so we automatically win every time. We had a blast there. I think we ended up getting more. Currently, they're all sitting in my kitchen, and I have no idea what to do with them – maybe spreading them around the facility when we get home, but we left on the road [to the team's away game in LA] right away. When I'm back, I'll decide."
A desire for trophies
Huitema's new contract comes at a time when the Reign are pushing hard to get themselves into a playoff position after a rough start to the season. When thinking about her personal goals tied to this new contract, she has one thing on her mind: helping the team compete for more trophies.
"The climb of the ladder to the playoff push is a huge focus of ours right now, so I'm just giving everything I can to that. The big goals are obviously championships and winning the shield and things like that. Those are big goals of mine."
Reign general manager Lesle Gallimore notes that Huitema's potential to keep growing and helping the club reach its goals is exactly why the Reign re-signed the forward.
“Jordyn's ceiling is high and in ways untapped. We know [she] is committed to doing what it takes to become one of the premier goal-scorers in the NWSL and to lead Seattle Reign FC to championships.”
