So, it hadn't been going great for the Reign.
A thumping loss to one of the best sides in the league was one thing. A deflating loss to the actual worst side in the league, that was something else entirely.
So why not come home, facing a Bay FC side that they absolutely needed to not drop points against, and once again leave the field with no goals, no points, and a staggeringly toothless showing?
The game was changed by an early penalty for Bay FC, and though the Reign were able to put together a ton of possession and a handful of decent (but not amazing) efforts, they were never really able to climb back into it after that. In fairness to the Reign, it was also a pretty spurious penalty, whistled against Phoebe McClernon for a challenge where she pretty clearly got the ball first, but with the Reign's month-long flash of attacking flair long since gone, it didn't much matter.
It was a goal against, and they were, once again, simply not up to the task of coming back from that.
It had to be better than this if they were going to make anything of a tough season.
Goalkeeper
Claudia Dickey – 7 (POTM)
The good. A stoppage time save on Racheal Kundananji at 45'+4 was sensational, and kept the deficit 1-0 going into the half. Other saves on solid chances at 22', 33', 36, and 45'+6 kept the Reign in it in a first half where they were pretty much outplayed across the field. Her distribution on long kicks looked better than it had for the prior couple matches, and she showed more of her early-season confidence stopping crosses and asserting herself in the area.
The bad. She couldn't get to a 27th minute Asisat Oshoala penalty kick, and the Reign never recovered from it.
Going forward. Dickey was very good, and was very good for most of the season. Growing pains, yes, but she's only going to get better from here. Frankly, Bay should've had two or three on the night, and Dickey saved everything she could be expected to save and then one she shouldn't have besides.
Defense
Hanna Glas – 5 (off 68' for Shae Holmes)
The good. The effort was there going both directions for Glas, who had three shot-creating actions, was confident on the ball, and mostly did well to keep Penelope Hocking and Caprice Dydasco contained before departing the game.
The bad. The impact mostly wasn't there for Hanna, who was able to keep the ball and put it in decent places but never really able to force Bay FC to make a decision with her placement – and Shae Holmes created more danger with half the touches and a third of the minutes.
Going forward. Glas didn't play all that many minutes this year. She's been serviceable and might have more to offer when more in sync with the team, but one hopes there will be a lot of competition for outside back roles going into 2025.
Lauren Barnes – 5 (off 45' for Jordyn Bugg)
The good. For the first 20 minutes, there were flashes of presence that reminded us of the Lu of old. A thunderous tackle, a fearless shot block, a maestro orchestrating a back line even under pressure. But it all came undone, unfortunately.
The bad. Picking up a knock early in the match, she wasn't on the field for the game-losing sequence, and didn't look comfortable after. While we can hardly fault her for being hurt, it certainly limited her ability to continue to make a positive impact on the game.
Going forward. I love Lu Barnes, but this was a rough season for her even within the general context of the club's whole season, and my view on her role next year is pretty well-established at this point.
Phoebe McClernon – 4
The good. The thing about McClernon this year was, man, even when she had a bad night, she threw down some heat in the defensive third. She won two tackles and four duels, had 10 recoveries and three interceptions, and even as she struggled to keep up with Oshoala and Kundananji on a bad night for her, she was absolutely the anchor to the Reign's defensive efforts, and after a disastrous first half, mostly got it together for the second.
The bad. Playing central defense, 15 to 20 good moments unfortunately never have the impact of two or three bad ones, and Phoebe certainly had two or three bad minutes. She was hard done on the penalty call (and the very long VAR stoppage just to decide not to intervene remains... weird), but she put herself in a bad position there to start with. She lost Oshoala and Kundananji behind twice, each in very dangerous ways. Neither actually proved all that goal-dangerous, penalty aside, but we've seldom seen McClernon just get individually beaten that way, let alone multiple times in a game.
Going forward. I would like to see presumptive 2025 starting centerback Phoebe McClernon have fewer disaster halfs going forward.
Veronica Latsko – 5
The good. The Reign's best chance of the game came off one of Latsko's 14 crosses, a 59th minute volley from close range that Tziarra King unfortunately couldn't keep on frame. Starting deeper than her usual position did little to blunt Latsko's buzzing intensity on the press, and she won three duels and two tackles, all of them higher up the pitch than you might expect.
The bad. Stepping into the Sofia Huerta role, the Reign needed more than one of those crosses to be dangerous, especially when giving up some of the positional discipline of a Hanna Glas or Shae Holmes. And at least some of McClernon's struggles with Rachael Kundananji came back to Latsko's aggressive play at outside back leaving too much space.
Going forward. Latsko can play respectably anywhere on the right side, and is a tremendous asset off the bench. I remain unconvinced by her consistency and impact as a 90-minute player, though.
Midfield
Ji So-yun – 6
The good. Ji was once again arguably the most consistently dangerous player for the Reign, with three shots, three shot creating actions, and two of the more promising Reign opportunities (in the 28th and 70th minute) coming off her foot. By far the most fouled player on the pitch, she won three free kicks in decent spots, and frankly should've won another three for unwhistled challenges, too, but 🤷♀️ what are you gonna do.
The bad. Ji was once again arguably the most consistently dangerous player for the Reign, and that was simply not good enough to get a result. Late in the match, desperate for a goal, Ji tripping herself uncontested trying to settle a ball felt like a metaphor for the Reign's whole season.
Going forward. The problem isn't that Ji was bad this year – she was mostly solid, occasionally touched on brilliant, and only rarely below average. It's that she wasn't nearly dangerous enough for a team to survive off her being their most dangerous player. The offseason should be a chance to amend that.
Quinn – 6
The good. Immediately after the Reign conceded, Quinn dropped a killer tackle, came up with the ball, and immediately found Ji So-yun in the penalty area. Unfortunately, Ji's shot came to nothing, but it was a rare statement of intent from the Reign. Quinn was a wrecking machine on the defensive side of the ball, and led the side with 13 recoveries, five tackles, and five duels won.
The bad. Quinn seemed exhausted coming into the second half, and struggled to find the game again for 20 to 25 minutes, something of a recurring situation for them. They did start getting positively involved again late, but the Reign could ill-afford to lose their influence for a quarter of a match.
Going forward. I'm not sure Quinn will ever be a 90 minute player again, but they can sure still be one of the best in the league for 50. It's a bit of a conundrum at their position.
Olivia Athens – 5 (off 86' for Jaelin Howell)
The good. Athens took three corners for the Reign, and a couple of them created some beautiful chaos, moments where for a shining second, the Reign almost looked like they might do something dangerous. None of them actually did end in danger, but sometimes it's worth dreaming about what might've been.
The bad. Of the starting midfielders, Athens was the least impactful at basically every phase of play. She struggled to get involved in the buildup or make a mark defensively. Outside of three dead ball services, one could frequently forget she was on the pitch at all, despite her 61 touches.
Going forward. Olivia Athens is not a bad player, she's just not a high-impact starter in a high-leverage spot. Next season, Jaelin Howell should hopefully see a lot more of the hard minutes Athens has put in trying to keep a perpetually-devastated midfield held together.
Forward
Tziarra King – 4 (off 68' for Emeri Adames)
The good. The single best chance the Reign managed all match was an (admittedly high-difficulty) 59th minute volley by King that she couldn't get the contact she wanted on, and couldn't put on target. Five minutes earlier, she found Ji So-yun for a shot, albeit not a particularly dangerous one.
The bad. Zee touched the ball just 19 times in nearly 70 minutes, and had trouble involving herself throughout. Of those 19 touches, seven ended in an immediate loss of possession to Bay FC. She was nowhere to be found for most of her time on the pitch. Even when the midfield found moments, Tziarra consistently failed to be there to make them matter.
Going forward. While a forward shouldn't be expected to get on the ball like a midfielder, the Reign simply need more from King. She finds these infrequent good moments, but gets lost in the shuffle far too much.
Jordyn Huitema – 5
The good. Jordyn won six duels, five of them in the attacking third, and looked imperious in the air in a way we've all been waiting for her to show. Whenever it came to a physical challenge, Bay FC's defenders didn't have an answer for her strength or presence. Unfortunately...
The bad. ...she parlayed that into zero shots, zero dangerous passes, and only a few dangerous runs, as she looked quite lost as to what to do when she had a rare chance to do something highly impactful.
Going forward. The Reign need Huitema to manage to both win her physical battles and do dangerous things on the same matchday. She mostly only managed to do one or the other this year. Still, seeing her spend a whole afternoon positively bullying defenders in the air is promising for the long term.
Ana-Maria Crnogorčević – 5 (off 79' for Nérilia Mondésir)
The good. Ana-Maria was her usual pressing menace self as a wide attacker, effectively jumping passing lanes and making Bay's defenders sweat whenever they had possession. While she couldn't turn that into anything much, she found two shots in the penalty area mostly by willing them to happen.
The bad. The effort was there and the impact was not: AMC got on the ball and put in the work, but she couldn't actually make it happen when the Reign needed her to. That was a refrain for much of the team in this disastrous third loss in a row.
Going forward. AMC always plays hard, and she's never been afraid to get into it with any defender, in any part of the pitch, at any time. She could be a difference maker as part of a more productive front three, but that just wasn't the Reign's brand in 2024.
Substitutes
Jordyn Bugg – 6 (on 45' for Lauren Barnes)
The good. Bugg came on at halftime for an injured Lu Barnes and was an immediate jolt of energy for a deflated Reign side. The touch on her long passing was exquisite, and she made a habit of demolishing attackers who'd, for the prior 45 minutes, found entirely too much joy running in behind.
The bad. I'm sure the coaches have plenty of game tape to show how she can improve, but for my part? She came on cold for a fading legend and was one of the Reign's best players on the day. I'm not going to get picky about it today.
Going forward. Honestly, however excited you are about Jordyn Bugg, it's probably not excited enough. She's going to have the sauce. She already does, to an extraordinary extent.
Emeri Adames – 4 (on 68' for Tziarra King)
The good. In around 30 minutes, Adames contributed as much or more offensively as any of the starting forwards, by both setting up Ji So-yun for a decent chance, and getting on the end of a Nérilia Mondésir pass for a decent chance.
The bad. So, obviously, she's a work in progress, and the 6 for 16 passing line was... not ideal, even accounting for the degree to which she was on to try shit and try to make something out of a day full of nothing.
Going forward. I am an Emeri Adames Truther, and the truth is I think she's going to be freaking electric. She's just not quite there yet.
Shae Holmes – 5 (on 68' for Hanna Glas)
The good. Holmes provided some intensity on and off the ball that had often been missing before she subbed on. Her 90'+1 pass to Jaelin Howell ended in a deflected strike that challenged Katelyn Rowland more than anything else to that point had.
The bad. While it was good to see Shae's unflagging efforts even in the dying minutes of the match, she's not really the one you want driving the primary creative efforts as the last minutes tick away on a 1-0 loss...
Going forward. Shae continues to show that she has plenty to offer across the back line. She should be in contention for consistent starting minutes next year.
Nérilia Mondésir – 4 (on 79' for Ana-Maria Crnogorčević)
The good. Her 85th minute combination with Emeri Adames was about as close as the Reign came to scoring all night.
The bad. Four touches in 15 minutes did not help the Reign change the script.
Going forward. While I get giving Coco time to adapt to a league that has no easy outs, she needed more minutes than she was given here to find the game and make an impact.
Jaelin Howell – N/A (on 86' for Olivia Athens)
The good. That 90'+1 deflected shot. In another timeline...
The bad. She played less than 10 minutes on a side that definitely could've used more of what she brings to the table. Also, she completed two of five passes.
Going forward. Howell has the tools to be really freaking good, but after the Balcer Trade, she saw the pitch too little. Next year's a reset, and if she's not in the center of the pitch consistently, I'll be, shall we say, very confused.
Referee
Elton Garcia – 4
I object to the penalty. I object to the nigh-pathological indifference to handling. I object to allowing Ji to be targeted all afternoon (and taking her out himself once, leading directly to a Bay FC counter.) I object to swallowing the whistle up and down the pitch constantly, except in one ultra-high-leverage moment. I object to ludicrously extended VAR checks that come away with a shrug emoji and leave the spurious call to stand.
...all that said, the Reign still didn't do nearly enough to win, and that's not on him.
I'm tired, y'all.
And Another Thing..!
Can you believe we played four more also mostly futile and exhausting matches after this? Stay tuned for the Reign losing to Angel City, when they instead could have simply won, and taken advantage of Angel City's pervasive salary cap violations to regain some ground despite the flailing form.
But also, keep the faith.
Next season comes sooner than you think.
