Reign international report: Wales look to make history

Euros within reach for Wales

The Welsh women's national team is on the verge of qualifying for their first-ever major tournament. After winning their group in qualifying for the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euros, Reign midfielders Angharad James-Turner and Jess Fishlock and on-loan defender Lily Woodham played in a two-leg quarterfinal series against Slovakia in October. Despite not playing an NWSL game since September 9th at Angel City, Fishlock was a force throughout the series. She subbed on in the 64th minute of the first match and instantly turned the tide, initiating the play that led to Ffion Morgan’s late goal. 

Down 2-1, Wales returned home for the must-win second leg. Fishlock returned to her usual starting role. She chipped in the tying goal, assisted by James-Turner. 

Fishlock and Wales threatened twice more late, but both were called offside. A third Welsh goal by Ceri Holland was initially ruled offside in the dying minutes of extra time, but VAR overturned the call and Wales advanced 3-2 on aggregate. They will face Ireland in their playoff final, an opponent who are also hoping to make their Euros debut.

The opportunity to qualify for a major tournament has been years in the making for Fishlock, the country’s all-time leading scorer, and James-Turner, who was named Cymru captain last month. The two have a combined 280 caps and decades of international experience. Wales have come close to qualifying before but have always fallen short, most recently in a heartbreaking loss to Switzerland in a UEFA Qualifying Final for the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

This could be the last chance for Fishlock, who has been open about the possibility of retiring from international football after this campaign. She told the BBC that she doesn’t know for sure and is focusing on the goal ahead. “I am ready as ever, as always, to do what I can for this country, as I have done for the last almost 20 years now,” she said before the quarterfinal. “Each game I have always taken as if it was my first and as if it was my last, because you should never take it for granted and I never will.”

Wales will host Ireland on Friday, November 29th for leg 1 of the final. Leg 2 will take place on December 3rd.

Youth World Cups give a glimpse into Reign’s USWNT future

The Reign made an unprecedented move this season when the team signed a trio of teenagers. Emeri Adames, Jordyn Bugg, and Ainsley McCammon were the first players to sign with the club through the league's U-18 entry mechanism. All three had a wealth of youth national team experience, which they continued to build on in the latter half of the season. 

Adames and Bugg spent September in Colombia, anchoring the USA U-20 National Team at the U-20 Women’s World Cup. Both players started every game of the tournament. Adames was a staple of the American offense, stretching down the left side and taking set pieces. Her breakout game came against Paraguay when she tallied three assists in the first half. She had four assists total in the tournament, the most of any player except Ryong-Jong Jon of Korea DPR, who had six.

Bugg played nearly every minute of the tournament, staying cool under pressure on the United States’ back line. The Americans placed third at the tournament, beating the Netherlands in the third-place match after losing to Korea DPR in the semifinals. The third-place finish is the best result the USWNT has found at the U-20 World Cup since they won in 2012. “this group was really close and we wanted to go as far as we could,” Bugg said on her return to Seattle. “I think that showed on the field and we just had fun with it.” 

McCammon, the youngest player in Reign history, was called up to represent the United States at the U-17 World Cup in October. This was her second international tournament as captain, having led the U.S. through their qualifying run at the CONCACAF U-17 Championship earlier this year. In a similar trajectory to the U-20 team the month prior, the U-17s lost to Korea DPR in the semifinals. McCammon scored in the 3-0 bronze medal victory over England, and the USA sealed their first medal at the tournament since 2012. 

The youth experiment has paid dividends at the club level as well, with both Adames and Bugg becoming reliable staples in Laura Harvey’s schemes. Perhaps even more promising for Seattle’s future is that all three teens are here to stay, having signed multiyear contracts through at least 2026. The 2024 NWSL season was the first in which the Reign didn’t have a USWNT star, but the future looks bright with these stars in the making. 

Glas retires from Swedish national team 

Midseason acquisition Hanna Glas announced her retirement from the Swedish national team in October. The defender earned 59 caps since her debut in 2017 following a successful youth national team career. Her international opportunities were limited by a series of injuries which caused her to withdraw from multiple tournaments. Glas won bronze at the 2019 Women's World Cup and silver at the 202o Olympics.

Canada draw Spain in friendly

The Canadian Women’s National Team played their first match since their Olympic controversy in an October friendly with Spain. Though the reigning World Cup champions controlled possession, Canada held a narrow 1-0 lead until Spain equalized in the game’s closing moments. Reign forward Jordyn Huitema played 78 minutes, while midfielder Quinn stayed in Seattle while recovering from a head injury. 

Mondésir captains Haiti in friendlies

Reign forward Nérilia Mondésir and the Haitian Women’s National Team traveled to Turkey for the inaugural Pink Ladies Week, a development camp featuring seven other nations. They played friendlies with Jordan, Chinese Taipei, and Russia, winning the first two games and losing the final. Mondésir played in the latter two, scoring a penalty in the team’s 3-0 win over Chinese Taipei.