Valkyratings: Hopes Dashed edition

Dispiriting as it was, a listless home loss to Gotham was hardly the end of the road for the Reign. While the path before them narrowed with every dropped point, there was still a navigable road to the playoffs ahead, and it all had to start with getting a result against the worst side in the league.

The Reign could not get that result.

Despite assembling seven decent scoring chances, the Reign mostly couldn't even put one in a challenging place for Jane Campbell. Despite controlling possession and position and constantly keeping Houston penned in, the Reign couldn't make the solid buildup count for anything. And, almost immediately after a brilliant Claudia Dickey save in the 49th minute, Yuki Nagasato volleyed the ball home from distance for an absolute banger and an utterly deflating 1-0 loss.

As the match ground out to yet another uninspiring loss where the Reign were probably not actually the worse side, even the sunniest of optimists were checking the doom counter. You can only afford to drop so many utterly winnable points in a season, after all.

Goalkeeper

Claudia Dickey – 6

The good. In the 49th minute, she came up huge on Andressa's shot – a low, hard strike at a sharp angle from close range. A shot taken from that position with that sort of accuracy and venom should've been a goal, and Dickey said not today.

The bad. Unfortunately, just under a minute later, Houston recycled the ball. Lauren Barnes got a good head on the ball to clear Avery Patterson's shot. And Yuki Nagasato, crashing in at the top of the box, put her laces through it on the volley and gave Dickey no chance.

Going forward. Claudia made the save to turn away the (only) big-time, high-danger, high-difficulty shot she faced. And then less than a minute later, the Reign conceded anyway. It's hard to hang the struggles this season on her, and I remain highly optimistic about her future.

Defense

Hanna Glas – 5 (off 59' for Veronica Latsko)

The good. Tidy on the ball, Glas also contributed two shot-creating actions and added a shot of their own in a buzzing five minute stretch where the Reign created great pressure but probably needed to look for one pass more to open the defense.

The bad. Aside from that buzzing five minute stretch, Hanna struggled to create much, and the lack of creativity from Sofia Huerta's flank was (again) a problem for the Reign.

Going forward. Glas is not the problem for the Reign, and she's a solid outside back, but she's not offering much at a position the Reign are used to getting at least something out of (assists curse notwithstanding.)

Phoebe McClernon – 7 (POTM)

The good. Phoebe led the side with 112 touches, led the side with 10 progressive passes, and led the side with 6 recoveries, 5 clearances, 4 blocks, 3 tackles won, and 3 duels won.

The bad. I'm not sure she put a foot wrong, albeit against an anemic offense.

Going forward. Another match, another 'the best defender on the pitch' sort of performance for McClernon, though her consistency and excellence is going to go unappreciated in a season when the Reign positively bled avoidable goals.

Lauren Barnes – 6

The good. Albeit against an anemic offensive, this was a good turnout from Lu Barnes, who proved a menace to Houston attackers all night, winning 2 tackles and 2 duels in helping McClernon snuff out danger in the middle.

The bad. It'd be harsh to blame her for the goal, but it sure is the story of the season that she cleanly won a defensive header only for Yuki to do that, isn't it?

Going forward. A good performance against Houston doesn't much change my view that Barnes is at the tail of her career, and should not be the regular starter.

Shae Holmes – 6 (off 77' for Julia Lester)

The good. Just a few minutes after the Reign surrendered the lead, Holmes' ball to Jordyn Huitema set up a decent chance to equalize which Jordyn, unfortunately, could not put on target. Two tackles and four duels won in her 77 minutes helped make the right wing an offensive dead end for the Dash.

The bad. One time, she left the option to cross way too open, and a clearance and a wonder-volley later, the Reign paid for it. Getting ruthlessly punished even for relatively small mistakes sure is the move for this 2024 season.

Going forward. While I'd rather see Shae getting regular minutes at CB, she keeps showing she's a capable outside back, and that flexibility should ensure she gets plenty of time next season.

Midfield

Jaelin Howell – 6 (off 86' for Maddie Mercado)

The good. The Reign's second-best chance of the game, a 59th minute Jordyn Huitema effort that sadly went begging, started with Howell picking the right pass. She found the right pass often, rarely giving up the ball, and added two tackles won and four recoveries in a solid two-way performance.

The bad. A solid two-way performance, but the midfield collectively could not summon the sauce to unlock the Dash defense.

Going forward. She might not have blown the doors off since the trade, but Jaelin Howell looks like she's got a whole lot to offer, and hopefully, 2025 sees her settled in and dealing.

Quinn – 6

The good. Quinn's 10 progressive passes combined with four duels one and four recoveries were also emblematic of a solid two-way performance. They went a full 90, something they'd struggled to do recently.

The bad. Quinn still faded down the stretch, and a couple late miscontrols fizzled out attacking motions that the Reign could ill-afford to lose with time running out.

Going forward. Whether Quinn has another couple seasons in them or not is an open question, but they definitely still have the quality to be an asset.

Ji So-yun – 5

The good. Eight progressive passes, 90% passing, and two shot-creating actions. Ji was, when she got on the ball and released it quickly, able to contribute to the buildout and contribute some danger.

The bad. Ten total turnovers and too little offensive bite, especially against a side with struggles as big as Houston's. Ji once again frequently held the ball too long, took one touch too many, and dribbled her way into trouble.

Going forward. The 2024 Reign don't win when Ji So-yun is ineffective. To be fair, they also don't win all that consistently when she's effective, but she needs to contribute a lot more than this to give this side a real chance.

Forward

Ana-Maria Crnogorčević – 5

The good. The best chance of the night came off an AMC pass in the 82nd, finding Jordyn Huitema's head from five yards out, and... sigh. She also set up Ji So-yun in a decent spot in the 80th.

The bad. Aside those two moments, Ana-Maria's 25 touches, no shots, and unusually limited pressure were not a particularly effective force for the Reign.

Going forward. Her median game for the Reign has been solid, but she's suffered a lot for the loss of creativity and connection behind her.

Jordyn Huitema – 6

The good. Of the Reign's 1.3 xG, 0.97 was from Huitema's chances. She got into the right place and got the shot off repeatedly. The 59th, 62nd, and 82nd minute chances she found were all big opportunities to score...

The bad. ...and she scored none of them. If she made one of those count, this is a different retrospective. If she made two of them count, the Reign might be in the playoffs right now, instead of watching.

Going forward. Huitema's underperformance this season was maddening, but given that she's very young and suffered a spinal injury this year, I'm not about to read too much into it. She's getting to the right place and she's finding the chances. She just needs to find the touch to finish them.

Tziarra King – 5 (off 59' for Nérilia Mondésir)

The good. In the 7th minute, a Zee to Jordyn to Zee sequence started things off nicely for the Reign, and while she failed to put the shot on target, it was a nice interplay leading to a good chance, and looked like a promising sign of things to come.

The bad. It was not a promising sign of things to come. King faded into invisibility as the match went on, and left for Nérilia Mondésir as the first substitute on the night.

Going forward. Tziarra King might, in a more functional season next year, finally take that last step and hit her potential, or we might be seeing her peak. It's hard to draw that conclusion. She has stuff, but it's so inconsistent.

Substitutes

Nérilia Mondésir – 5 (on 59' for Tziarra King)

The good. Coco came on for King, and managed a similar level of influence on the ball in around half the minutes. She grew into the match late, and was a key architect in the huge Huitema chance in the 82nd minute.

The bad. A similar level of influence on the match was, admittedly, still not all that much. Mondésir is not all the way there at the level of this league yet. As good as she can be with the ball at her feet, the 0-for-4 dribbling line reminds that she's very much still very much on the learning curve of figuring out NWSL defenders.

Going forward. Have said before, will say again, that I expect she'll be the Reign's best player in 2025. She's not right now, but it's not an easy league to adapt to.

Veronica Latsko – 6 (on 59' for Hanna Glas)

The good. Stop me if you've heard this before – Veronica Latsko came on as a 30 minute substitute and immediately changed the flow of the game. Literally, immediately. In the 59th minute, she delivered a ball to Huitema that deserved an assist. In the 62nd minute, she did it again. Latsko was the most impactful attacking player on the night, and she only played a third of the match.

The bad. Despite her impact, the Reign still didn't score.

Going forward. Her ability to play both at the wing and at outside back is a plus, especially as a super-sub. And the chance-creation splits between when she starts and when she comes on late are astounding. She might be the best 30 minute when you desperately need a scoring chance substitute in the league.

Julia Lester – 5 (on 77' for Shae Holmes)

The good. Lester was extremely tidy in possession, misplacing the ball just once, and did well to keep it cycling forward. She didn't provide a lot of bite, but she wasn't being asked to.

The bad. She wasn't a game-changer in the last 15 minutes as Houston whittled away the end of the match.

Going forward. With Lester, McClernon, and Holmes, the Reign have a trio of very capable CBs who can all also play fullback, which is an underrated asset. They definitely need more going forward out of at least one outside back than any of the three can provide, though.

Maddie Mercado – N/A (on 86' for Jaelin Howell)

The good. Mercado played for five minutes and reminded us she's on the roster.

The bad. It's not ideal to touch the ball three times and lose the ball twice, especially in the dying minutes of a match where a goal is desperately needed.

Going forward. Maddie has promise, but she didn't see much game time this season, and at the point she was substituted in, the Reign seemed out of ideas and out of hope. Next year should tell us more about her.

Referee

Jamie Padilla – 5

The good. This was a tough, physical match, with 38 tackles thrown, 23 fouls, and a ton of bodying up. It could've gotten really out of hand, and it didn't, at least some of which is on Padilla making an effort to moderate it in the second half.

The bad. It took her way too long to find her cards, frankly, and a little more consistency could've stopped it from getting that tough and physical in the first place.

Going forward. After some of the howlers this season, I'll take tough, physical, and inconsistent over maniacally inexplicable.

And Another Thing..!

Goddamn, this season has been a rough one to watch, a rough one to rewatch, and a rough one to write about. We're through with the live suffering, and we're almost through with the suffering on rewatch.

As with so many matches this season – the Reign weren't necessarily good, but they were arguably better than their final result. The double digit season-long underperformance on xGD is astounding, Gotham 2022-esque. Pure pain.

May we have more to cheer about in 2025.