Seattle Reign vs. Angel City: Gamethread

Seattle Reign is back at home on Friday night, hosting Angel City FC at Lumen Field. The game kicks off at 7 PM PT and will air on Prime Video for fans in the U.S. and NWSL+ for international viewers.

After two disappointing 1-0 losses to Houston and Bay FC, the Reign still have a fighting chance to make the playoffs – but they desperately need some goals and a win tonight to help push them forward.

Angel City, meanwhile, has a better record than the Reign but now sits one point below them on the league table. Earlier this week, the NWSL issued a 3-point deduction to Angel City due to a salary cap violation. They'll likely be extra motivated to get a result on the road after that league decision.

New Reign forward Ana-Maria Crnogorčević knows they will have another tough match-up against Angel City after playing them just four weeks ago on the road.

"That was a tough game. That was an exciting game. I think [this] matchup is going to be kind of the same. We just played a couple of weeks ago. We know how to beat them. We know what we have to do, and I think that's going to be a similar game. Obviously, it's going to be a tough game, and we need points, they need points. Yeah, it's a big game for both teams."

The Reign will be without two key midfielders tonight, as Jess Fishlock and Quinn are both unavailable due to injuries.

Recent Results

The Reign fell 1-0 to Bay FC last Sunday. Angel City lost 2-1 to the Washington Spirit, also at home.

Head-to-Head

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

• The Reign came from behind to beat Angel City 3-2 on the road in September.
• Seattle is 8-1-1 all-time against Angel City and 4-0-1 at home.

Quick Stats

• Angel City (6-12-4, 19 points) has scored 26 goals and conceded 37.
• Seattle (5-12-5, 20 points) has scored 23 goals and conceded 36.
• The Reign are 3-4-4 at home this season. Angel City is 3-5-2 on the road.
• The Reign have used a different lineup in all 22 regular-season matches.
• Claire Emslie has seven goals for Angel City; Alyssa Thompson has five goals and six assists.

What to Watch

Does Angel City play more direct?

When the Reign played Angel City on the road, the Reign dominated for about 70 minutes of that match. After Seattle went up 3-1, however, Angel City became a lot more direct – pumping balls into the box. It had the Reign chasing and scrambling. In those final 20 minutes, Angel City scored a goal and pushed hard for more.

While Angel City is a team that likes to have the ball and combine to move it up the field, Reign head coach Laura Harvey expects they might push forward more quickly against the Reign.

"It felt like 20 minutes, they really started to turn it on and sort of got rid of their identity in regards to playing and forced it forward quicker than they normally would and put crosses in the box a lot more than they normally do. So, I think we have to be prepared that they may come out a bit more direct against us and be a little less about their style of play and a little bit more ruthless, getting the ball towards the goal a little bit quicker."

The Reign have struggled to stay in sync and deal with the transitional game this season. This is partly due to the rotation Harvey has had to deploy due to the delay of the sale limiting the club's off-season moves, some mid-season trades, and overall performances. But she also said after the Angel City game that she wanted her team to put more pressure on Angel City higher up the field to prevent those long balls forward. Can they do that tonight?

Stopping Alyssa Thompson

Thompson has five goals and one assist in her last six matches. She's finding her form at the end of the season – getting behind defenses and finding opportunities to both shoot and get a pass to her teammate.

Sofia Huerta put in a dominant defensive performance on the road the last time the Reign faced Angel City – stopping Thompson from creating too much danger. As a result, Thompson switched to the right wing in the second half to go after Shae Holmes. The Reign are without Huerta, so who steps up on the wing to slow down the Angel City forward?

Can the Reign find set piece success?

The Reign desperately need to find some offensive rhythm after three matches in a row where they created few opportunities and zero goals. If they continue to struggle in open play, a set piece goal would sure be nice. Angel City is tied with the Reign in goals conceded (8) from set plays. The Reign have been getting the ball to the endline recently, averaging nearly 7 corner kicks per match in their last three games, but they haven't been able to connect. Can that change tonight?

On the other end, Angel City has created the best chances from set pieces, direct free-kick attempts, and corner kicks. While they have only scored five goals this way, they lead the league in expected goals from set pieces and corner kicks (7.27 xG, according to American Soccer Analysis). The Reign defense must stand firm when Angel City gets a set piece opportunity.

Officials

Lineups

Highlights

33' - MA Vignola puts Angel City up

Injury / Availability Report

Seattle Reign FC

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

Angel City FC

OUT: Jun Endo (SEI - knee), Merritt Mathias (knee), Katie Johnson (excused absence), Ali Riley (SEI – upper leg)

How to Watch

Date/Time: Friday, October 4, 7 PM PT

Location: Lumen Field, Seattle

Streaming: Prime Video (US), NWSL+ (International)

Join the Discussion

This is your Seattle Reign vs. Angel City preview and gamethread. Join the discussion in the comments or on Discord if you're a paid subscriber. Get real-time highlights from @RoValks on Twitter.