Young Seattle Reign players to watch in 2025

Seattle Reign boasts the only two players in the National Women's Soccer League who have been with the same club since the league launched in 2013. Those two players would be Jess Fishlock and Lauren Barnes, who are returning for their 13th season with the Reign.

At the same time, while both veterans will be expected to contribute in many ways this year, the Reign have also taken steps over the last two years to bring in young, emerging talent that can become the next generation of leaders for the club. Last year, the Reign signed three U-18 players. The Reign have continued to look for emerging talents who are ready to compete this year and over the long term.

Here are five Seattle Reign players under the age of 23 who are ready to make an impact this season.

Jordyn Bugg

Jordyn Bugg was signed last August at just 17 years old and immediately slotted into a starting centerback spot. She then went on to play a crucial role on the U.S. U-20 World Cup team that won a Bronze medal last fall — featuring for all but four minutes. Bugg was also named to Emma Hayes' U.S. women's national team Futures Camp this January, an indication that the defender could have a big future with the U.S. Women's National Team.

As these highlights from 2024 confirm, Bugg frequently halted the attacking play of MVP candidates like Barbra Banda and demonstrated a calmness in possession that made her look like a veteran at times. While she often opted for the simple pass, Bugg also showed an ability to make cross-field passes and connect to the frontline with long balls.

After a breakout rookie season, the 18-year-old Bugg appears ready to make an even more significant leap this season. The centerback was in the right place every time during the Coachella Valley Invitational and rarely put in a wrong step. The way she reads the game looks quite similar to Naomi Girma, who just broke the women's soccer transfer fee record in her move to Chelsea. Now, the Reign will be looking to Bugg to grow her leadership skills on the field.

"She's developing really well," Reign head coach Laura Harvey said about the young defender at the end of the Coachella Valley Invitational. "I think the next layer for her is recognizing that she's who she is now within the team, taking responsibility of that, communicating to people around her. She's still young, but she's got a lot of exposure now to who we are and what we want to try and do. So we want to try and build on her leadership qualities and push her a little bit more on that stuff, because on the field she's great."

Contract status: Signed through 2027.

Emeri Adames

Emeri Adames, who will turn 19 in April, is a left-footed crossing specialist who likes to be unpredictable and try stuff. Sound familiar? Adames has a lot of skills similar to Megan Rapinoe, so it was fitting that she scored (or forced an own goal if you're the Opta stats person) during Rapinoe's jersey retirement match last year.

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While she might feel like a mini Pinoe, Adames is ready to make a name for herself in her own way. She became the youngest player to score for the Reign last season, volleying in a tough shot on the road against the Washington Spirit.

Then Adames added a goal from distance in the Summer Cup.

Adames tied the U.S. record for the most assists in a single match (3) during the U-20 World Cup last fall — finishing the tournament with four assists. Primarily lining up on the left last year, she played most of her preseason minutes on the right wing as an inverted winger and had some great looks against Angel City. She nearly scored on a free kick and whipped in several dangerous corner kicks.

If preseason is any indication, the forward is in a great position to earn more playing time and set her teammates up for goals while also scoring a few bangers.

Contract status: Signed through 2027.

Maddie Dahlien

Seattle Reign has historically been a team that creates chances through its press. Harvey teams have been really good at pulling opponents into traps and recovering the ball high up the field. What the Reign lacked in the last two years, however, was a player who has good pressing instincts and speed. Enter 20-year-old Maddie Dahlien (and veteran Lynn Biyendolo!).

Dahlien was a super sub for the U.S. in the U-20 World Cup last year, scoring twice and forcing an own goal in the Bronze medal match. She helped the University of North Carolina win an NCAA title in December and was also called up to the USWNT Futures Camp this January. A Minnesota high school state track champion in the 100, 200, and 400, Dahlien is really, really fast. As she demonstrated against Angel City in the Reign's Coachella Valley preseason match, she knows how to use that speed in the press. Dahlien scored the Reign's lone goal on a solo effort that began with her pressure at half.

She nearly scored in the first minute when she pressured goalkeeper Angelina Anderson in front of the goal, and her defensive pressure led to another great look in the 78th minute.

"Her ability to press is exceptional. She got the reward from that, where she probably did that to people eight to 10 times, and we know that that's the type of team that we want to be. So she fits into that perfectly," Harvey said after the Reign's 1-1 draw against Angel City. "One of the big reasons we wanted to sign her when we watched her was her ability to be able to press, and we want to give her the freedom to make those choices. And today you can see her instincts are really good. She knows when to jump, when not to, and even if she gets it wrong, she's so fast she can solve it. When we were recruiting her, that was a big reason why I was so excited about bringing her in."

Contract status: Signed through 2027.

Ainsley McCammon

While we didn't get to see too much of Ainsley McCammon last year, the 17-year-old captained the U.S. squad that earned a Bronze in the U-17 World Cup last fall. She was also called up to the USWNT Futures Camp this January. The holding midfielder scored the second goal in the Bronze medal match against England, whipping in a hard shot from the top of the box.

As McCammon demonstrated during the U-17 World Cup, she's got great vision and can spray passes to teammates with ease. In fact, McCammon covered the most distance (6.8 miles) and attempted the most line-breaking passes (45) in a 2-0 win against Nigeria in the quarterfinal match.

Reign fans should see more of McCammon this season. She'll need to demonstrate that she can keep up with the pace of the NWSL, but it is clear that all the ability is there. When asked about how she feels about the team's holding midfield options this year after saying goodbye to Quinn and Nikki Stanton in free agency, Harvey came back to the team's trust and faith in 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." 

Contract status: Signed through 2028.

Emily Mason

When she was just 17 years old, Emily Mason was called up to the U-20 women's national team squad for the Concacaf U-20 championship in 2020. Under head coach Laura Harvey, the U.S. won the 2020 competition, and Mason started the quarterfinal and final at right back. Unfortunately, the pandemic prevented the U-20 World Cup from occurring. 

Mason got a second chance two years later. In the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championships, She started five of seven games, scoring three goals and adding an assist. She was named to the Concacf U-20 Championship Best XI.

That youth national team experience served Mason well at Rutgers, where she played 82 games and was named to the All-Big 10 First Team in 2022 and 2024, the Second Team in 2023, and the United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team in 2022. Standing at 5’10”, the 22-year-old defender is a threat on set pieces, and her long legs help her make crucial stops on the defensive end. In the 2024 college season, Mason won 71.6% of her defensive duels and averaged more than 5 interceptions, 3 clearances, and 57 passes per game (per Wyscout).

Mason was also called into the USWNT Futures Camp this January. If you are sensing a theme at this point, four of the five players on this list were in the Futures Camp. Adames was the lone player who was surprisingly left off.

It's unclear how much playing time Mason will get this season, as the Reign have a lot of options on the backline. She's made appearances at right back and centerback in the preseason and looked NWSL ready in both roles. Whenever Mason steps onto the field this season, it's clear that her versatility and composure will be huge bonuses.

Contract status: Signed through 2025.