Too many times, the story of last season was finding a way to drop points that should've been won late in the match. On Saturday, at least for one night, the Reign turned that narrative around, finding a way to claim a point from a losing position. Is a home draw ideal? No, not really. But it's always better than a home loss, and coming from behind to take a point is always better than coming from ahead to drop them.
The Reign needed to find a way, and they found a way.
And exactly one game into the 2025 NWSL season, it's an iconic time to draw way too many conclusions about way too small a sample size. Emeri Adames is on pace for 26 goals! Maddie Dahlien is gonna run right by the entire opposing midfield! Jordyn Huitema has learned to throw her body into the play! Nérilia Mondésir will dribble 79 hapless defenders! We're so back, baby!
Gather round, true believers. Let's dive into the first Valkyratings of the year.
Goalkeeper
Claudia Dickey — 7
Two pivotal numbers for Claudia Dickey's game: 31', 81'.
Twice, the ball fell to Esther Gonzalez's lethal left foot, clean past the defense, with the score level. Twice, Esther delivered a shot. Twice, Claudia Dickey calmly denied it, and made it look routine. And while Esther admittedly probably wanted to get a little more on the 31st minute chance, it still required a strong read under pressure from Dickey – and she put in a wicked strike in the 81st, which Claudia calmly parried aside and out of danger. A deflating striker's deflection on a blocked shot denied her a chance at a clean sheet, but Claudia was a difference maker in a match that needed one.
Going forward. Claudia's still quite young and very good. There'll be growing pains, as with any keeper just entering her prime years, but she is and should be the presumptive starter until further notice.
Defenders
Shae Holmes — 7
Against a very good transition team with excellent progressive passers and an elusive and dangerous attacking band, Shae was a defensive wrecking machine, a leading part of why Gotham only got in behind twice across 90+ minutes. Her seven clearances led the side, and her four won aerials and two won tackles helped keep the game in front of the Reign defense. She was a little shaky in possession, but she did what she needed to do and opted to kick the shit out of it rather than take a risk when it was prudent to do so.
She also showed more willingness to get up the field and put in an attacking pass when the opportunity was clear, and seems to be growing well into the outside back role.
Going forward. Outside back has been a perpetual struggle for the Reign over the past year-plus, and Shae is making a strong argument for her place on the field.
Phoebe McClernon — 6
This was a competent, businesslike appearance by McClernon, who remains a steady and capable presence at centerback for the Reign. She blocked two shots, put her boot through the ball a dozen times to let the defense reset, and was steady and calm in possession throughout. She also got cleanly beaten by Esther on a sequence that could've been disastrous. Obviously, lots of defenders will get beaten by Esther this season, and Gotham's tactical setup was... interesting... but it's something to keep an eye on.
Going forward. This was a very ordinary outing for Pheoebe. Ideally, we won't need her to be extraordinary to pick up points, even though she's frequently capable.
Jordyn Bugg — 6
The runaway breakout star of the back end of last season, Bugg's strong, cultured play in 2024 earned her an opening day start, and she once again demonstrated calm and quality beyond her tenure. Like Phoebe, she got burned by the wily front line of Esther and... Portilho..? (No, what even was Gotham's shape supposed to be?) But the mistakes were few and the positive play substantial. The partnership between McClernon and Bugg is a work in progress, but it is already showing enormous promise, and Bugg's eye for the long outlet pass remains the best on the team. Starting in the 2nd minute, she was frequently the pass before the pass as Reign threats developed.
Going forward. Bugg's soft feet and upfield vision are an enormous asset and will only be more so with the further integration of Lynn Biyendolo, Maddie Dahlien, Adames, and Mondésir.
Madison Curry — 7
New arrival Madison Curry introduced herself with aplomb, turning away the attacking probes of Ella Stevens and Jaelin Howell time and again, her four interceptions, three tackles, and two aerial duels won mirroring Holmes' bruising defensive shift opposite her. A little shaky and clearly not all the way comfortable with her teammates just yet, she nonetheless managed to be one of the more incisive passers, as well, repeatedly finding Angharad James-Turner to relieve pressure, and Ana-Maria Crnogorčević and Ji So-yun in space to start things off.
Going forward. Outside back has been a perpetual struggle for the Reign over the past year-plus, and Madison Curry's opening argument was fuckin' persuasive.
Midfielders
Ji So-yun — 6 (off 90' for Sam Meza)
Though she was on occasion the midfielder furthest up the field, Ji So-yun's best moments came when she was more withdrawn, playing in the space between James-Turner and Fishlock. It wasn't a special night for Ji, but she did show her quality on a few occasions: winning a foul in a dangerous position in the 33rd minute, swarming in the defensive recovery and quickly springing the ball to Huitema in the 70th minute (which would, after two more passes and some absolute chaos, lead to a goal), making smart runs in recovery to reclaim possession or slow up Gotham counters.
Going forward. While not exactly a vintage night, Ji showed flashes of what makes her so intriguing as a withdrawn midfielder, and she saw – and made – the first pass that opened up the field on the tying goal. Despite offering something unique, the Reign should still look to manage her minutes and give more time to Meza and the rest.
Angharad James-Turner — 5 (off 69' for Maddie Mercado)
It was a serviceable but ultimately forgettable outing for Haz, as she struggled to really find her feet in the game, but still showed enough grit and sandpaper to make it hard on Gotham. Three tackles, four fouls, and a lot of willingness to get right into it went a long way, and Angharad destroying in the middle while Madison and Shae destroyed on the flanks may, in fact, have contributed to Gotham's utterly mystifying shape in possession as they searched desperately for any space that was actually available to them. She just also couldn't find enough of the ball and couldn't do enough with it when she did.
Going forward. Mercado spelled her in the 69th minute, and looked more than capable, and while Haz puts in hard work and put in another hard shift, her spot is the one most begging for different looks in the midfield.
Jess Fishlock — 6
Jess Fishlock is going to be 57 years old and still an 80th-percentile attacking midfielder in NWSL.
This was a middling performance by her lofty standards. She still led the side in shots, started things off hot by getting her head to the ball in the 2nd minute, put Huitema, Dahlien, Mondésir, and Adames through with her passing, and added seven recoveries and two aerial duels won.
Going forward. It takes a lot to displace a Jess Fishlock playing at even, like, two thirds of vintage Jess Fishlock level. Still, the Reign should look at managing her minutes, especially with promising options like Meza, Mercado, and McCammon who all need time on the field.
Forwards
Maddie Dahlien — 5 (off 69' for Emeri Adames)
In her first Reign appearance, Dahlien ran circles around her defenders and brought direction and energy to a front line that hasn't been known for that recently. She also lacked for that (ugh, forgive me) final bit of quality, and most of her hard runs went unrewarded, and the Reign were never really able to take advantage when she got forward dangerously. It happens, and the promise looked real.
Going forward. The Maddie Dahlien zoomies are going to win her a lot of fans, and with a little more time and cohesion, she should be a hell of a lot of fun to watch.
Jordyn Huitema — 5
It didn't really come together for her, but it was nice to see Huitema throwing her body and making herself a problem for defenders. The quality wasn't quite there, and the connection with the rest of her line wasn't quite there, but there were good signs. She showed a particularly good connection with Fishlock, playing higher up the field than much of last season.
She was probably lucky not to see a second yellow late in the match after some unforced contact with Ann-Katrin Berger, but on the other hand, her first yellow was incredibly soft, given in the midst of a truly perception-bending stretch of hashtag decisions by referee Alex Billeter. We'll call it a wash.
Going forward. May this be the season that Huitema dials up her aggression and gets the rewards her significant athletic gifts are capable of getting.
Ana-Maria Crnogorčević — 4 (off 58' for Nérilia Mondésir)
After joining the Reign in the secondary transfer window last season, AMC was a bit of a surprising spark plug and definitely earned herself a conversation as a starter, but on Saturday, she seemed lost on the wing, had a hard time connecting with Huitema and Fishlock, and failed to impact the game much. Other than providing an outlet for Madison Curry, she largely didn't get on the ball, didn't make an impact when she did get on the ball, and was oddly invisible on the press.
Going forward. Crnogorčević may thrive more in a more central role, though she showed plenty as a pressing winger last season, and there's no reason to believe she can't again. That said, no single moment changed the game more than Nérilia Mondésir subbing on for her, and hopefully, we see Coco with the start in the future.
Substitutes
Nérilia Mondésir — 7 (on 58' for Ana-Maria Crnogorčević)
With the Reign trailing and their front three relatively ineffective, Coco subbed on and changed the game. Gotham's defenders struggled to contain her and seemed to have no answers as she beat them for pace, beat them on the dribble, beat them with positioning, beat them with instincts. They quickly settled on a different strategy – fouling the absolute shit out of her – which referee Alex Billeter largely let them get away with until the 84th minute, when Mandy Freeman put her cleats through the back of Coco's ankle, and after video review was given her marching orders. In just 30-plus minutes, Mondésir saw as much of the ball as AMC had in twice that span, and in the chaotic sequence of the 71st minute, it was her opportunistic, too-hot-to-handle shot that created the rebound that created the scramble that created the goal.
Going forward. Mondésir should be starting, full stop. Hopefully, that's the plan in the near future, and not a distant goal.
Emeri Adames — 7 (POTM)(on 69' for Maddie Dahlien)
EMERI ADAMES SCORED A GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL (and also did other positive things but right now we're excited because she scored a goal just roll with it.)
Going forward. Adames deserves more minutes. While there's (suddenly!) a ton of competition at her spot, with Biyendolo and Dahlien both showing something new for the team, all Emeri does is make shit happen, and we need to reward that with time on the field.
Maddie Mercado — 6 (on 69' for Angharad James-Turner)
Replacing James-Turner, Maddie Mercado put in a serviceable, professional outing where she helped hold down and stabilize the midfield, and also Jaelin Howell drove cleats through her face with a flying kick that should have been a red card and a supplementary suspension. Mercado is clearly tough as hell, but also, she absolutely should not have to be and she deserves better from the league and PRO than that. After getting her face kicked to fuck and back, she played mad, and Maddie playing mad was good. She completed 100% of her passes, put the ball forward with intent, took two shots, and made her presence known and impossible to ignore.
Going forward. While she didn't have a ton of impact, she showed purpose, grit, and quality, and probably made the midfield conversation a lot more interesting. Additionally, in the future, PRO officials should not allow opponents to flying kick her in the face.
Sam Meza — N/A (on 90' for Ji So-yun)
Meza came on for a few minutes of stoppage time, touched the ball three times, completed two passes, and helped see out a result.
Going forward. Meza is back from a very successful stint with Dallas Trinity, and looks to be putting a strong foot forward after a difficult rookie year.
Referee
Alex Billeter — 2
Okay, so, look. Lots of referees have off nights. It's forgivable to have an off night. It's a hard, thankless job and your only real reward for being amazing at it is getting relentlessly abused and criminally underpaid anyway. But the heart of the job, the single, shining line that always matters most, is protecting the players on the field. And when a referee fails to do that, it can turn real ugly, real fast.
An officiating performance that does not believe a flying kick driving cleats through face is a red card does not protect players on the field. An officiating performance that can't be bothered to whistle, let alone card, a scissor tackle from behind does not protect players on the field. An officiating performance that can't even be bothered to stop and look until the third probable red card offense in a span of 20 minutes...
Alex Billeter is extremely fortunate nobody left that field with a severe injury.
And Another Thing!
Every undefeated streak starts at one. We're so back, baby!
