While not yet mathematically eliminated, it was becoming increasingly clear that the Reign simply could not adapt to the final round of brutal roster losses the season had inflicted upon them. A flash in the pan of good play after an international break had given way to a new losing streak, more demoralizing than ever. Potential paths to the playoffs were becoming laughably narrow.
But still – there would have been something to beating Angel City twice after the punditocracy predicted six free points for them and they managed to take a three point penalty for egregious salary cap violation.
There would have been some pride in that.
Two minutes after Ana-Maria Crnogorčević failed to even make DiDi Haračić work for it on a huge chance, M.A. Vignola all but ended the Reign's season in the 34th minute, and the Reign never looked dangerous again in a stunningly toothless home effort with a lineup held together by electrical tape and paper clips.
This might have been the most brutal rewatch of the season for its sheer futility. Nobody was good. Nobody made the big play at the right moment. Nobody seemed to have any fight left in them. Hang tight, true believers. We're in for a rough one.
Goalkeeper
Claudia Dickey – 5
The good. A 50th minute save on an Alyssa Thompson curler was harder than it looked, and kept the Reign in the game.
The bad. She's going to want Vignola's goal back. It was well-taken, but Dickey honestly made it easy on her, coming out at once too aggressively and too indecisively. She was also pretty tentative commanding her area, and looked rattled throughout the first half.
Going forward. Behind a defense that leaked needlessly enormous chances in transitional moments all year, Dickey's still been solid. Given an offseason to shake the waving vaguely all of this out, I have high hopes for Claudia and the Girls next year.
Defense
Shae Holmes – 5
The good. Shae Holmes got forward, worked hard, and Tried Shit. With 73 touches, she had more of the ball than any other Reign player, and played with more intent than most. She led the side in progressive passes with 7, had two successful dribbles, and provided 10 entries into the final third.
The bad. 73 touches, 34 for 66 passing, including nine missed short passes in moments she simply cannot miss them. Like many other players on the night, she really tried and was not up to the task in any meaningful or consistent way. It looked as though she, like many other players, was being asked to try on a new role, and it looked as though she, like many other players, was not really up to the demands of the role being asked of her.
Going forward. We should recognize that Shae's talents, though certainly sufficient to provide real value as a multi-positional defender at the NWSL level, do not as yet include being the focal point of a wide attack.
Phoebe McClernon – 6
The good. Phoebe's 69 (nice) touches were the second most on the team, and she was in general tidy and comfortable with the ball. The middle of Angel City's attack didn't create shit, and the strong positional defending and comfort on the ball provided by McClernon (and Jordyn Bugg!) were a big reason why.
The bad. McClernon lost Messiah Bright for a split second in the 28th minute and it ended in a very good chance that could've opened the scoring on another night.
Going forward. The most consistent defender on the team was, once again, consistent and solid.
Jordyn Bugg – 6
The good. Jordyn's 58 touches were the third most on the team, and she and McClernon formed an active, communicative central defensive partnership that did a great job blunting attacks up the middle. She was comfortable on the ball and her positioning was strong throughout. When the Reign got beaten, it was never by way of getting one over on Bugg.
The bad. A couple young-player miscues and foibles did pop up, as Jordyn sometimes chose the risky pass over the right pass, which gave Angel City an immediate chance to try a different line of attack.
Going forward. At only 18 years old, Bugg shows flashes of Alana Cook and vintage Lauren Barnes, with excellent positional awareness and a phenomenal eye for the line-breaking long pass from central defense. Don't sleep on her.
Veronica Latsko – 5 (off 76' for Olivia Athens)
The good. Latsko was arguably the Reign's most dynamic passer in possession, and progressed the ball well, both at outside back and later from the midfield after Hanna Glas subbed on. She was also tenaciously in the way of the very dangerous Alyssa Thompson, and her five blocks and two tackles went a long way towards keeping that Angel City left side from unlocking even more danger.
The bad. Latsko got scorched on the goal against – twice – and let Vignola get goal-side of her for a clean finish past Dickey. There were mistakes to go around, but Latsko's defense in the moment was, at best, highly suspect.
Going forward. I've said my piece on Latsko like 20 times. I really like her as a menace off the bench. I've yet to be all that sold on her starting, regardless of position. Angel City exploited her limitations successfully. It's much harder to do that when she's coming on late and running right at your tired ass.
Midfield
Ainsley McCammon – 4 (off 63' for Hanna Glas)
The good. Despite the problems in midfield and McCammon struggling handily throughout, she did show flashes of vision, quickly finding the space and switching the point of attack three times that I counted. The Reign have lacked for that this year, and that she sees the opportunities is in itself promising. In general, this was not a good performance and I don't have many moments to sugarcoat it with.
The bad. 63 minutes, 20 touches, six turnovers, and zero-for-two on duels. McCammon was a bit of a ghost throughout, disappeared for long stretches before subbing off, and all things considered wasn't up to the speed or intensity of play.
Going forward. She's 17 years old and young players are consistently inconsistent. I'd suggest it's not worth it to worry too much about this performance. Bet on Ainsley coming good.
Jaelin Howell – 5
The good. Jaelin Howell went into it with an Angel City player in possession seven times, and came up with the ball seven times. She's got a whole damned decant of that eau de give me that ball which the Reign have lacked so often. When it's her against the world with the ball on the line, she's going to go and take it.
The bad. Once she had that ball, she was pretty inefficient in distributing or making something of it. In her defense, the attacking lines were a shambles, and her options were never good, but she also didn't really make them better.
Going forward. Howell looks like the six of the future for us, and a healthier / better constructed / better functioning roster will be able to make better use of her.
Jordyn Huitema – 5 (off 90' for Nérilia Mondésir)
The good. Asked to play in a facilitating/attacking midfield role, Jordyn Huitema did her best, and provided six progressive passes and two shot-creating actions, including the would-be hockey assist on King's beautiful ball to AMC. She was definitely one of the more creative passers on the night.
The bad. Her average position was in the defensive half, behind six other Reign players. Both starting fullbacks AND Howell were consistently further up the pitch than the best target forward on the Reign roster. I just fundamentally do not understand the tactical intention here, I fundamentally do not understand what the expectation was. Anyway, it didn't work.
Going forward. We should not play Huitema as a central midfielder. I know she's had some finishing issues and getting back to game speed after a spine injury has been a frustrating process, but, no, like, seriously, what... was that?
Forward
Tziarra King – 5 (off 64' for Emeri Adames)
The good. Goddamn, that early ball, diagonal and over the top, to find Ana-Maria Crnogorčević, who'd already beaten her defenders with a brilliantly timed run... it deserved an assist. It deserved being the start of a better game.
The bad. Her other 23 touches on the ball were... less incisive. And like many Reign starters that afternoon, she was a bit of an automated turnover machine.
Going forward. Zee sometimes does this thing where she'll throw down a single, transcendent, brilliant moment and then be invisible for the rest of the match. On the whole, the Reign have not been good at turning those moments into goals, and Zee has not been good about repeating them reliably.
Ana-Maria Crnogorčević – 6 (POTM)
The good. King put in a phenomenal ball, and, in the 32nd minute, from six yards out, Ana-Maria Crnogorčević put her head to it, making good contact and driving it off the ground nigh-unsavably... and missed half a yard wide to the right. Also, virtually every other meager chance the Reign managed on the night came back to AMC's dogged efforts.
The bad. In the 32nd minute, from six yards out, making good contact on the single best chance of the night on either side, AMC missed the goal, and the Reign would go scoreless in yet another match.
Going forward. Ana-Maria definitely still has some sauce in the bottle, but if she's going to drag the Reign to results on her own, she needs to find the frame when she gets The Fuckin' Chance like that.
Ji So-yun – 4
The good. Playing wider than she's used to, Ji's substantial skill on the ball got to shine a little brighter than it has at times in high-pressure NWSL midfields, as she had numerous chances to dribble fools and, in fact, dribbled some fools.
The bad. I'm about to get real controversial here, but Ji So-yun is just not a right wing. She constantly drifted towards the center, and while Latsko's overlapping and Ji's squeezing in may have been a deliberate choice, it paid roughly zero dividends. Aside from some admittedly sweet dribbles, Ji didn't have enough of the ball to make shit happen, and wasn't fast enough to be a consistent wide threat.
Going forward. We should not play Ji So-yun at the right wing. Less glibly, we've played her at a weird number of positions this year. She's been solidly good driving possession from central midfield. She's been mediocre as a false nine, a position that kind of requires a talent advantage to work with that the Reign just do not have. She's been pretty bad when asked to play wide.
Substitutes
Hanna Glas – 5 (on 63' for Ainsley McCammon)
The good. Hanna Glas wasn't an absolute turnover machine, something the Reign had sorely lacked on the night.
The bad. She also wasn't particularly dynamic, and with Angel City already leading and the Reign struggling to find even one incisive ball, she too failed to find even one incisive ball.
Going forward. All things being equal, I think it actually makes more sense to substitute in a good but historically very much defense-first fullback when you're protecting a lead rather than chasing the game, but what do I know?
Emeri Adames – 4 (on 64' for Tziarra King)
The good. She got a full 30 minutes to actually try shit! Emeri put in some decent crosses, and had a very good set piece delivery in the 87th minute that yielded the Reign's only decent scoring chance of the second half.
The bad. A full 30 minutes of trying shit amounted to a lot of failing shit, too. She gave up the ball often and found little joy matching up with a strong Angel City right side.
Going forward. It for sure wasn't vintage but once again: we will not regret giving Emeri minutes, even when the result isn't there yet.
Olivia Athens – 4 (on 76' for Veronica Latsko)
The good. Olivia did not give up the ball cheaply, and actually found her targets with her passes. As mentioned above, between her and Glas, just stopping the transitional bleeding a bit was actionable.
The bad. The Reign were chasing, down a goal, time ticking away on their match and their season. Olivia didn't, and was never going to, change the game on that.
Going forward. I really like Olivia Athens, and I think she's fabulous depth for an NWSL side, and I remain deeply perplexed by how she's been used this season.
Nérilia Mondésir – N/A (on 90' for Jordyn Huitema)
The good. Coco technically touched the ball five times in the attacking third.
The bad. She came on for garbage minutes and wasn't effective in them.
Going forward. It's astounding to me that, desperate for a goal or even just a sign of life, we couldn't muster more than stoppage time minutes for Mondésir. Literally nothing to lose. Be bold, goddamn.
Referee
Matthew Thompson – 5
The good. He could've called a spurious penalty and declined to! May PRO show more of that restraint next season.
The bad. Somehow, in a match where he whistled 24 fouls (and declined to whistle about another 16 more), he declined to show a single card until nearly full time, when he suddenly showed three. May PRO show more care about persistent infringement next season.
Going forward. Thompson was generally fine, whatever.
And Another Thing..!
Another day, another weird new Reign lineup as the constant parade of absences, injuries, and futilities continued, another demoralizing and deflating loss.
Check in soon for... oh. The utterly unhinged thrashing away at Utah Royals. Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.
I need a drink.
