Valkyratings: Like Tears in Reign edition

Not gonna sugarcoat it.

It got real bad, real quick.

The glimmer of hope for the playoffs, after a low-key very good first transfer window under new ownership, the joy of rattling off several wins in a row, of scoring goals and making shit fun... all those moments were lost in time. The Sofia Huerta loan and Jess Fishlock injury combined may have been too much for a still incomplete, rebuilding team to recover from. After losing both players, the Reign lost five in a row, scoring zero goals and showing little fight, little cohesion, and a spiraling, hopeless, sorrowful vibe as we close out the season.

It all started here, though.

A September 16th home loss to New Jersey / Newark / New South Wales Gotham ABCD where we were never really in it, never really threatening, and never really looking like we cared. Flat, uninterested, and without even the fight that you could see in some of the hard losses earlier in the year.

Beginning of the end. Let's suffer through it again together. In somewhat more truncated fashion than usual, of course. These next several matches sucked with a capital suck to watch once, let alone 3+ times...

Goalkeeper

Claudia Dickey – 4

The good. With the Reign only down a goal and hoping to claw something back, Claw-dia denied Yazmeen Ryan's speculative shot in the 61st minute and Rose Lavelle's effort from way downtown in the 68th. Neither was necessarily a brilliant chance, but they still required her to make the stop, and she did that much.

The bad. She'll want the 41st minute Delanie Sheehan goal back, where she was screened, wrong-footed, and wasn't even able to try to stop it near-side. She'll really want that 85th minute goal back, where she had it in both claws and couldn't keep a hold of it. Claudia struggled throughout to build out, distribute accurately, or command her area. While the Reign had a ton of other problems on the night... Dickey's not usually amongst their biggest problems – but against Gotham, she kind of was.

Going forward. The wheels are coming off, and Dickey, still a very young goalkeeper, definitely looks less confident, more tentative, and more fragile than she did in her best days this season.

Defense

Lauren Barnes – 3 (off 72' for Julia Lester)

The good. She had a slick dribble along the way and she had a couple decent deliveries on corners. She couldn't utterly whiff on a high-leverage defensive effort against Rose Lavelle in the 85th minute, because she'd already substituted off in the 72nd.

The bad. Yes, okay, it's an obvious tautology, but defending Rose Lavelle aggressively only works if it succeeds; it's less ideal when you fail to pressure her and give her nothing but space to pass to a wide open, unmarked Delanie Sheehan. Barnes' unimpressive passing on the back line was combined with a nothing-for-nothing night offensively along with no duels, no tackles, and basically nil for defensive pressure. It was a far cry from the brilliant, studious, tenacious defender we've known for so many years.

Going forward. Barnes works hard, and there have been times where her leadership on the back line has definitely been evident for its absence, but on a physical, temporal, quality-of-play level I'm increasingly convinced she just doesn't have it anymore.

Shae Holmes – 4

The good. Her seven defensive actions were mostly timely and stalwart. The Reign actually didn't give up many big chances, and Holmes' play was a major contributor to Gotham's difficulty in building out a quality look on goal.

The bad. When the defending on one or two key plays is outright farcical, the opposition doesn't always need to build out many quality looks on goal to pants you. She overran and took herself out of the play in the 41st minute, then did so again in the 85th minute. Add in the fairly miserable 28-for-42 passing and the four bad touches leading directly to turnovers and it was a pretty forgettable night for Shae.

Going forward. The youngest of the trio with Lester and McClernon, Holmes has certainly been more prone to growing pains. Given everything else that went wrong in this match (and this season), it's honestly forgivable. 24-year-old centerbacks make mistakes. Important offseason coming up.

Phoebe McClernon – 6 (POTM)

The good. Phoebe McClernon did her entire damned best to keep this match together and in reach for the Reign. Her 73 touches led the team, and her 14(!!) defensive actions, 4 clearances, 11 recoveries, 3 blocks, and 5 duels won were a constant string of turning back Gotham, preventing their possession, movement, and fluidity from becoming clear-cut chances repeatedly.

The bad. Not all defensive actions are created equal, and one of Phoebe's, unluckily, fell straight to Delanie Sheehan's foot. The shot was screened by Holmes, utterly missed by Dickey, and gave Gotham a 1-0 lead that was, perhaps, a little crueler than the balance of play to that point.

Going forward. McClernon is the best centerback on the team, full stop, and has the stuff to be a top-class defender in the league – on (and this is important) a team that is 'somewhat good' instead of 'frequently laugh-so-you-don't-cry-about-it bad'.

Hanna Glas – 5 (off 85' for Olivia Athens)

The good. Glas' 9 defensive actions were second only to McClernon, and she (mostly) showed out well on the defensive side of the ball, consistently helping to turn back or slow up Gotham's probing movement.

The bad. She gave Rose Lavelle way too much time and space to pick her pass in the 85th minute, and the ensuing chaos ended with Esther drilling home the second goal. She also showed some definite rust and discomfort on the ball, and turned the ball over 6 times (that I was able to count in my notes) when a better touch or a better pass would've avoided it.

Going forward. Glas' return to the pitch after a brutal 2023 – including an assist for the Current in the Summer Cup – is a feel-good story and I want her to do well. She couldn't provide the center of gravity Huerta used to, but it's also not particularly reasonable to expect she should have.

Midfield

Angharad James-Turner – 5 (off 61' for Nérilia Mondésir)

The good. Haz was active in defense, and with Gotham the only team looking particularly likely to make something happen in any given five minute window, she had to be. She was in the right place to recover or intercept the ball and stop Gotham's buildout 13 different times that I counted. The "shit-shoveling" work is unglamorous, but it has to be done, especially with a tilted field.

The bad. James-Turner went in for tackles twice, and whiffed both times, and probably could've stayed on her feet both times to make things harder on Gotham. On the opening goal, she was one of many players who made a snowballing questionable decision in the buildout, allowing Gotham to build largely uncontested into escalating danger.

Going forward. Quietly one of the Reign's best players in the disastrous first third of the season, James-Turner has been quite inconsistent when she's seen the field since, and hasn't really shown enough to be more than a rotational piece in the midfield. Of course, with the injury carousel like it's been...

Quinn – 5

The good. A 90-minute runout with 53 touches and even a couple line-breaking passes to go with a good tackle reminded us, at least in flashes, of how good Quinn can be when they're finding the game and setting the tone.

The bad. In the course of a 90-minute runout, Quinn was only occasionally showing any real signs of finding the game or setting the tone, and through much of the match, they were an unfortunate non-factor.

Going forward. Quinn has been a central architect of some of the Reign's best times, but they've struggled to find form since the series of injuries, and it's fair to ask what's best for their future. Football is temporary, life goes on a long time after a player leaves the field.

Jaelyn Howell – 5 (off 85' for Maddie Mercado)

The good. Three interceptions and two clearances, and one of the only players on the Reign side who even really tried to mix it up in the air, Jaelyn was an assertive presence in her return for the Reign. She was unafraid to get into it with a talented and aggressive Gotham buildout, and she's got a ton of will to simply make shit happen. She also led the side with four shot-creating actions.

The bad. Unfortunately, while she was more than up for getting into it, she came out on the worse side of that more often than not, winning only one of three tackles and three of seven aerials. Her effort was there, her execution was lacking. While she led the side with four shot-creating actions, the danger from those four shots was very limited.

Going forward. Howell has the tools to be a core player for the Reign next season. She hasn't had the immediate impact to change the narrative of this one, though what she has shown is promising, and with the OGs aging out, she could be a leader of the future.

Forward

Tziarra King – 5 (off 72' for Veronica Latsko)

The good. Of the Reign's seven shots, Tziarra's 44th minute (sadly blocked) blast from an angle was the only one taken inside the area. A rip from 30 yards in first-half stoppage time had little right to be as dangerous as it ended up being, and in a better universe, we'd have gone into the break 1-1 remembering Zee's latest banger.

The bad. Being one of the only ones on the team even trying to contribute offensively only does so much when the overall offensive output is so little. Zee got into decent spots more than most of her teammates, but it was, at best, Fine.

Going forward. King absolutely had to show the ability to hack it at the NWSL level this season, and I think she largely did that, but she's been inconsistent and not of a level that can elevate the team on her own.

Ji So-yun – 6

The good. The Reign's best chance of the night came on a Ji So-yun free kick in stoppage time. We were denied another potential goal of the week hit by a solid save by Ann-Katrin Berger. Ji also showed defensive bite from the front of the line, winning two tackles and three duels, earning two free kicks in holdup, and tallying eight recoveries. She's actually pretty capable as a false nine, but definitely needs more goal danger around her for it to be an effective role.

The bad. While she was second on the side with three shot creating actions and had the Reign's best chance of the night, this, again, requires the context that the Reign did not really create much of anything offensively. Having the best attacking moves of an anemic offensive performance is faint praise at best.

Going forward. Ji So-yun is still a good player with a lot of quality, but she's not going to be the focal point of an entire NWSL offense, and she was definitely an insufficient replacement for the loss of Rapinoe, Lavelle, and Angelina to free agency. With that said, she should have an important role next season, even if just to provide another year for the transition between last generation and next.

Ana-Maria Crnogorčević – 5

The good. AMC was quicker to find the open pass than most of the team, and did more to help the Reign build their occasional spells of possession than most of the team, and also wasn't afraid to take Gotham's defenders on when she had an opportunity. She did hard work, but the product just wasn't there.

The bad. AMC showed a ton of desire and no finishing touch. Her effort was there, but she managed no shots, no shot creating actions, and only forced a single turnover, a far cry from the buzzing impact she managed in her first handful of games for the Reign.

Going forward. Crnogorčević came onto the scene and almost immediately became one of the Reign's most dangerous players, but she cooled off quickly with the loss of Fishlock and Huerta. She's still a tenacious pressing forward, and with more quality actually on the field, has shown she can create good chaos.

Substitutes

Nérilia Mondésir – 4 (on 61' for Angharad James-Turner)

The good. A nifty 87th minute give and go with Ji So-yun was pretty fun. She somehow led the team in carries into the penalty area in just 30+ minutes.

The bad. Thirty minutes, 10 touches, five of which ended in possession for Gotham.

Going forward. Coco needs time to adjust to NWSL, and time to acclimate to her teammates, and honestly, she's a Next Year project. I remain bullish on what Next Year is going to look like for her.

Veronica Latsko – 4 (on 72' for Tziarra King)

The good. It's never going to get boring watching Latsko dribble people through sheer force of will, and she did that three times in a short appearance.

The bad. She didn't turn any of that sheer force of will into a goal dangerous touch at any point.

Going forward. Caffeine and chaos have a good history for the Reign, and presumably a good future, too. Latsko is a great 25 minute attacking sub. This just wasn't a match she was able to put her laces through.

Julia Lester – 5 (on 72' for Lauren Barnes)

The good. She came on for Lu Barnes, and generally settled things the fuck down a little. No misplaced passes and no glaring errors bears a real mention in a game like this.

The bad. With the Reign already trailing, Lester didn't do much to help other than not turning over the ball. Which, mind you, isn't nothing when the Reign had thirty-something unforced turnovers as a side, but also wasn't... much.

Going forward. Lester, along with Holmes and McClernon, should compete for a lot of starting minutes in defense next season.

Maddie Mercado – N/A (on 85' for Jaelyn Howell)

Going forward. She touched the ball once and won the free kick that Ji nearly made magic off of. Maddie might have some sauce. We haven't had much chance to find out, but there are reasons to be hopeful for next year's growth.

Olivia Athens – N/A (on 85' for Hanna Glas)

Going forward. She touched the ball five times and completed three passes. We largely know what Athens brings. She was generally fine in very short minutes with the game already lost.

Referee

Shawn Tehini – 5

...was fine, and I'm tired of scrutinizing at this point. There were a couple inexplicably bad calls that ended Reign attacks. It took infinitely too long for him to show a yellow, and when he did, it was a pretty weaksauce yellow to show. But fuck it. It's PRO, it's NWSL, it's what we all expect.

And Another Thing!

...if Claudia Dickey had held on to that second strike, if Ji So-yun had sunk that free kick, if it had been a dramatic fight for a point and steal it performance, how differently might the rest of the season played out?

But it wasn't. After fighting back and falling a little short repeatedly this year, after losing key players for a key match and being shorthanded and outplayed on the pitch yet again, there just didn't seem to be a lot of fight left.

So... we play the games before us, we work on next year, and we take stock of what we can do with the pieces we have, and what pieces we most want to pick up.

Stay tuned for the next few losses in this series, and please leave an F in the chat.