Seattle Reign opened the 2025 season with a 1-1 draw at Lumen Field against Gotham FC, a team that finished in third place on the NWSL table last year. After giving up a goal early in the second half, the Reign responded well. Three minutes after subbing into the match, Emeri Adames scored the equalizer after throwing her body on the line to block a Gotham clearance during a scramble in the box.
Andrew Tingkang
Here are three stats from the match.
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Aside from a deflected goal off a corner kick and Esther forcing a good save from Claudia Dickey in the second half, the Reign defense held firm against a dynamic Gotham attack. As Reign head coach Laura Harvey said after the match, Gotham likes to stretch opponents and send long balls into the attack. The Reign did well to limit that.
Last year, Gotham completed 34 passes into their final third against the Reign. According to FBref, Gotham managed just 15 completed passes into their attacking third on Saturday night. The Reign stayed in an organized mid-block when Gotham got around their high press, which was effective. With athletic players on the backline, they also prevented Gotham's forwards from getting in behind for the majority of the match.
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Reign fullbacks Shae Holmes and Madison Curry combined won 12 aerial and ground duels and lost just three. They also collectively won three tackles, had four interceptions and six recoveries, and cleared the ball nine times. While both players will be looking to get forward and create more in the attack, they both looked the part defensively on Saturday.
Curry had to deal with Ella Stevens, who had seven goals and four assists for Gotham last year and earned a call-up to the U.S. Women's National Team for their January training camp this year. Stevens had one shot, a header in the second half that Opta gave an expected goal estimate of 0.02. As Harvey noted after the match, Curry has played limited professional minutes at right back.
Here are some of their defensive highlights from the match.
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While the Reign's starting lineup did well to limit Gotham's chances, they struggled to get things rolling on the offensive end. The Reign had just two shots in the first half. The Reign substitutes made a huge difference, which is precisely what you want from your bench. Nérilia ("Coco") Mondésir, Emeri Adames, and Maddie Mercado combined for nine touches in the Gotham box – half of the Reign's total for the match.
Coco, in particular, was a big spark. She brought creativity, an ability to drive and go 1-v-1 with defenders, and a willingness to go forward. She was fouled twice, with the second foul resulting in a red card to Mandy Freeman.
"I thought Coco was excellent when she came on. Again, another one that's been brilliant in preseason. Come in really fit, really healthy, really strong, and you just saw what she can do," Harvey said after the match. The Reign coach noted that the Reign's frontline has significant pressing responsibilities that they can't physically handle for 90 minutes, which is why Ana-Maria Crnogorčević started and Mondésir subbed in.
"You saw tonight Ana starting and Coco coming off the bench. We may feel next week it's a flip of that, right? Coco tonight, I thought, was a real game changer in regards to the threat that we had on the right. She's uber strong, very, very technical, and is now physically in a much better place to give more than maybe she could, coming in halfway last year. So really excited for her moving forward."
This is not the kind of impact the Reign's bench always had last year. While the Reign still need to show that they can produce more offensively for an entire 90-minute period, the substitutes showed in their opening match that they can run at tired defenses, create chances, and make an impact.
The Reign head on the road for their next match, taking on the North Carolina Courage (0-0-1) next Saturday, March 22. That game kicks off at 4 PM PT and will air on NWSL+.
