Reign fall to Angel City in fourth straight loss

There were no miracles for the Reign as the Angels visited Lumen Field on Friday evening. Seattle's season-long offensive woes persisted with yet another 1-0 loss. Struggling to maintain possession and create compelling runs, they managed just one shot on target from six total attempts. They earned nine corners, but couldn't capitalize on them. Their best chance came early in the second half when Ana-Maria Crnogorčević forced DiDi Haračić into a close-range save. The match's only goal came from M.A. Vignola, who broke through the Reign defense with a clever give-and-go to Alyssa Thompson on the left side of the box.

WHAT WORKED: Defense (?)

When asked about positive takeaways, head coach Laura Harvey replied, "They didn’t score more goals" without hesitation. Angel City’s attack wasn’t much more threatening than Seattle’s, but some credit is due to the Reign’s back line, which held firm except for the lapse that led to to the lone goal. Phoebe McClernon was reliable, as we've come to expect and perhaps overlook. She put together 13 meaningful defensive actions, six of which were inside the box. She also had a solid passing game, though it was less effective in the final third. Her young centerback partner, Jordyn Bugg, also continues to impress. “She makes a lot of right decisions. She's going to be really, really, really good, and she already is extremely good. I love playing with her,” McClernon said of her teenage teammate, who is signed with the Reign through 2026.

WHAT DIDN’T WORK: Basically everything

It was chaosball, and not the fun kind. The team lacked synergy and strategy. Coach Harvey expressed her frustration after the match: “I threw every dart I could think about throwing at the dartboard to try and get something else going, but yeah, unfortunately, we just couldn’t show that little bit of quality we needed to get back into the game.”

“[Today was] disappointing. We had a lot of high expectations before the season started, and we just lost our way somewhere along the line this year.”

After a loss that has all-but-officially knocked the Reign out of playoff contention, Phoebe McClernon reflected on the club’s tumultuous season. “I still think we have an amazing locker room of girls who want to win championships, and I think we’ll find our way back to that, one way or another.”

“All we can do moving forward is fix the things we need to... I think the things that knock you down the hardest lift you up the biggest."

Jordyn Huitema shared a positive vision for the future. “Look at Orlando from last year, and now look at them.”

Though not yet mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, Seattle's fate now lies in the hands of teams still to play this weekend. (Shoutout to Alison Gale for keeping us updated on league-wide playoff scenarios!)

Eliminated or not, the Reign will head to Utah on Sunday, October 13th, to face the Royals on the road for the first time since their reincarnation.