Seattle Reign's first day of preseason had a much different vibe

On a crisp winter day, Seattle Reign players and coaches walked onto the pitch at Starfire Sports Complex for their first day of preseason training. The sunny weather in Tukwila wasn't the only thing that felt different than last year. This time around, in addition to a youth tournament taking place all around them, the Reign were welcomed by nearly 100 people taking in their first training session – a combination of Royal Guard supporters group members, Reign academy players and their families, media, and Sounders and Reign staff.

It was the first time in the club's history that so many people were in attendance to help the team jump into a new season. As Reign head coach Laura Harvey remarked to reporters before the training session began, this offseason has felt "massively different" from any she's experienced in the past – and especially in comparison to last season, when the Reign were still up for sale and there was even a chance the club might be leaving Seattle.

"I think in previous years at this club, one of the things that's always been special about it is the locker room's been this really tight secret place, and inside of it we're battling against all the elements, and we're doing it in spite of everything outside the room, not in tandem with everything outside the room. And I think for the first time in a long time, we don't feel that way," Harvey shared. "There's a shared vision, there's alignment from top to bottom on what we want to look like. And obviously it's still pretty new, six months in, but we've done a lot of work, a lot of talking, a lot of planning and processing to try and put things into action and I'm excited to see how that works."

Anyone who listened to a post-match press conference last season knows that Harvey continued to lament the team's lack of quality in key moments. It was a consistent line shared by the head coach during a difficult season. Harvey is hopeful that this intention from the new ownership group will help the players eliminate the surround-sound and be able to exclusively focus on being their best – and in turn, lead the team back to more quality moments on the field in 2025.

"I think the biggest part about quality is providing the players with a stable environment where there's not a lot of question marks about off-the-field things, where we can concentrate on what we do on the field, we can concentrate on what that looks like. So, a big part of our processes in the offseason has been, 'How do we make sure that all the noise that we've had previously can disappear so that when the players get out on that field, all they think about is being the best footballer they can be.' And I think that will lead into quality."

The investments from the new ownership group haven't just been seen by the coaching staff. Reign original Lauren Barnes, who is returning for her 13th season with the club, pointed to how visible the new ownership group has been, which she believes will inspire the players in several ways.

"The most exciting thing that I've seen is just passion and actual physical bodies here. We see a lot of them at practice now. We see a lot of them in the facilities and stuff like that. I think that visibility is probably the biggest thing that we haven't seen in a long time. Seeing them here and how passionate they are and truly making change is just irreplaceable right now and something that definitely the club needs to see. And I think more so it's for the group, so they feel valued and feel seen and are able to invest in each other. It's a trust process. The quicker we can do that on both sides, the better the relationship is and the stronger it'll be."

While lots of things look different, everyone made it clear that one thing hasn't changed: the culture of the Reign's locker room. Lynn Biyendolo [formerly Williams] told reporters that it's a big reason she chose to come to the Reign this year. The team's connection was evident in her first minutes with the club.

"You see that bond that everybody is talking about, that culture, that piece of just not only giving to each other on the field, but giving back to the community. I'm really excited to get to know the fans, get to know the community, just be a part of that and immerse myself in this culture. I think that there is something intangible about the Reign – no matter what ownership, the group and the teams always felt together. I think that is a really cool legacy to hopefully be a part of."

Biyendolo is already the NWSL all-time leading goal scorer, so she doesn't have a lot to prove. Despite that, she's excited to see how Harvey can help her expand her game in new ways.

"[Laura's] a tactician. I love being on a team where you're challenged in the way that you play, and not just using my natural talent, but for somebody to say, 'Okay, Lynn, what is their back line playing? What is their midfield shape? How can we break them down in X, Y, and Z?' And I think that Laura's really great at that, so I'm excited to be able to just grow in my game in that in sense."

On the flip side, Harvey and Barnes both expressed their excitement about not only Biyendolo's goal-scoring ability, but her experience winning numerous trophies in this league. The forward has been a significant contributor on teams that have won four NWSL championships and three NWSL shields.

"Lynn's a proven winner, a proven goal scorer, a type of forward that we haven't really had at this club for a while in regard to her ability to stretch the back line," Harvey said. "And that's something that she enjoys doing. It's something that she's really good at. I think she's a huge addition to the club. Her experience of winning in this league is unmatched, and hopefully she can bring that goal-scoring prowess to our team."

More than anything, however, Biyendolo is excited to find joy alongside her teammates. Speaking to Sam Mewis on The Women's Game podcast, Biyendolo alluded to some team dynamic issues at Gotham, stating, "I don't want to get into everything with the end at Gotham, but I am really excited to be part of a team that looks like they're just enjoying each other and having fun and a culture that really looks like it's a healthy, fun, loving environment."

In her introduction to reporters, Biyendolo came back to this sentiment – noting that she's really interested in getting back to "really loving and enjoying the game and enjoying my teammates and just competing every single day."

Other training notes

• Monday was a re-entry day for the Reign, so there were limited training drills or scrimmages to observe. The team mostly focused on some passing patterns and quick passing exercises.
• The Reign were without Claudia Dickey, who was still with the U.S. Women's National Team, and Ainsley McCammon, Jordyn Bugg, Maddie Dahlien, and Emily Mason, who were at the USWNT Futures Camp.
• Biyendolo confirmed that she is being cautious after dealing with a significant hamstring injury in 2022, which is the main reason she pulled out of the January U.S. Women's National Team camp. She said she's nearly done with her rehabbing, feels great, and was doing drills to the side during the more intense passing and pressing part of Monday's training.
• In addition to Ryanne Brown, who is rehabbing from an ACL tear, Hanna Glas was the only other player who wasn't participating fully in the drills on Monday. Her injury status is unknown.
• Barnes confirmed that she spent this offseason rehabbing her nagging injury and is now feeling great. "I'm obviously older and I had to make sure that I was ready to come back for another year, be healthy. We got there. It was a long process, and it took a long time to make sure that I can go another year. I'm really excited to be here and healthy."
• Harvey confirmed that she's good with the Reign's holding midfield options at the moment – noting that part of the process is how they feel about McCammon. "She's got a big, big future ahead of her, and making sure that we provide her with opportunities is going to be important to be able to really see that – or we're never going to know." Harvey also called out Angharad ("Haz") James-Turner and Jess Fishlock as two players who can play deeper. "I think we have the depth in there. It just might look a little bit different, which is okay." At the same time, she confirmed what Lesle Gallimore told Ride of the Valkyries last week: if the team is adding any more players, it's likely in the midfield.
• The Reign had two extra trialists in addition to the four mentioned in the Reign's preseason roster. Moira Kelley, a defender who recently completed her fifth season at Virginia, was also training with the team. So was Vienna Whipple, a local teenager who plays for Crossfire and Lakeside and recently received a U-17 call-up. Kelley and Whipple – along with other trialists – might pop in and out of preseason training to fill gaps on the roster. They were with the team on Monday because the Reign still had five players at the USWNT camp and USWNT Futures Camp. There is another FIFA window in February.